MEXICO CITY, 16 June 2003 — Monterrey, led by former Argentina captain and coach Daniel Passarella, won the Mexican championship for the first time since 1986 at the weekend after holding out for a 0-0 draw away to Morelia in the second leg of the final.
The stalemate gave Monterrey a 3-1 aggregate win in the Clausura final as they claimed the title for the second time in their history. The Clausura is the second of the two championships played in the Mexican season. Morelia, coached by Passarella’s compatriot Ruben Omar Romano, were also beaten in the final of the Apertura tournament held in the second half of last year when they lost to Toluca.
Passarella, who took over less than a year ago, had been considered lucky to keep his job after his team failed to make the knockout stages of the Apertura.
Morelia striker Adolfo Bautista had two good chances to give his team an early breakthrough but the first was saved by Ricardo Martinez and the second flew wide.
Chilean Reinaldo Navia wasted an even better chance after 29 minutes when he miscued completely.
Morelia ran out of ideas in the second half after Argentine midfielder Damian Alvarez limped off injured. Monterrey went close in the 69th minute when Mexican international Jesus Arellano broke down the left but fired his effort over the crossbar.
Titov’s Header Gives Spartak
Moscow 13th Cup Win
In Moscow, Yegor Titov scored the 28th-minute winner as Spartak Moscow beat Rostov 1-0 in the Russian Cup final yesterday.
The Spartak captain headed home a pin-point cross from Russian under-21 international Roman Pavlyuchenko to give the Moscow side their first cup victory in six years.
Spartak, the most successful Russian club of all time, have now won a record 13 cups since the competition began in the old Soviet Union in 1936.
It was a huge morale-boosting victory for Spartak after a disappointing start to the season. Spartak, who have won nine league titles since 1992, are languishing in 13th spot, just two places above the relegation zone with 13 points from 12 matches.
The embattled Spartak coach Oleg Romantsev, who has been under heavy pressure to resign this season, had vowed to stay in the job regardless of the outcome of the final.
United States Dominate
Ireland in World Cup Tuneup
In Jersey City, New Jersey, Julie Foudy set up two goals and scored another on Saturday as the United States women’s national soccer team crushed Ireland 5-0 in a World Cup Tuneup.
The score was a repeat of the only previous meeting between the nations, a friendly following the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
The United States improved to 8-1-3 this year and gave coach April Heinrichs her 50th career win. The US has not allowed a goal in its last 263 minutes — the equivalent of almost three regulation games.
