By Brian Homewood
BUENOS AIRES, April 20 - Former Ecuador coach Luis
Fernandez Suarez quit Atletico Nacional after they lost again in
the Colombian championship on Sunday while club president Victor
Marulanda offered to stand down.
Alianza Lima scored twice in the last five minutes to beat
Sporting Cristal 2-1 in a Peruvian derby which featured 10
minutes of stoppage time after play was halted following a brawl
between members of the two benches.
COLOMBIA
Former South American champions Atletico Nacional, one of
Colombia's most popular clubs, remained rooted to the bottom of
the Apertura championship after losing 2-1 at home to Deportivo
Cali.
Coach Suarez, who led Ecuador to the last 16 at the 2006
World Cup, quit after the match and lashed out at his team.
"There's one player in this group who I would stand up for
but I would get rid of the rest," Suarez told reporters after
his team finished with nine men.
"The club deserves respect and ... out of dignity we (Suarez
and his staff) have offered our resignations to the president."
Marulanda said he also intended to leave.
"I'm a failure," said the president. "I don't have a team
which convinces anyone. I will speak to the directors about
continuing."
Atletico, who have seven points from 12 games, have won once
since Suarez took over in January.
Sergio Herrera gave Cali the lead in the 28th minute and
Atletico had Jairo Palomino and Jose Amaya dismissed either side
of halftime, the latter two minutes after coming on as a
substitute.
Humberto Mendoza levelled with an 82nd-minute penalty after
a handling offence by Jamell Ramos, who was also sent off.
However, Pablo Battalla snatched the winner for Cali three
minutes from time.
Deportes Tolima, who nearly pulled out of the championship
because of financial trouble at the start of the year, beat
Santa Fe 2-0 to stay top.
Santa Fe, whose coach Hernan Dario Gomez quit last Sunday
before changing his mind, are 11th.
PERU
Alianza Lima pulled off a dramatic win over Sporting Cristal
which left losing coach Juan Carlos Oblitas fuming over the
referee.
Cristal took an 11th-minute lead through Renzo Sheput and
were cruising until Wilmer Aguirre and Juan Gonzalez Vigil
replied in the 85th and 86th minutes.
A brawl then erupted on the touchline. Ten minutes of
stoppage time was added on at the end for the fighting, injuries
and time wasting.
Peruvian media said Alianza's team doctor went to pick up
the ball and was punched by a Cristal player, leading to a melee
in which players and officials punched and insulted each other.
No action was taken by referee Victor Hugo Rivera.
Former World Cup forward Oblitas said Alianza defender
Leandro Fleitas should have been sent off before halftime for
hacking down Junior Aliberti.
"That was a red card, here or in China, but Victor Hugo has
one style of refereeing for the (Libertadores) Cup and another
for here," said the Cristal coach.
CHILE
Colo Colo beat second-placed Universidad de Chile 3-1 in the
biggest fixture of the season, only three days after Marcelo
Barticciotto quit as coach.
Argentine striker Lucas Barrios scored twice inside 33
minutes and Luis Figueroa added the third in the 69th.
Juan Manuel Olivera replied for Universidad, who had
defender Jose Rojas sent off in the 78th minute.
Champions Colo Colo, who had lost their previous four
domestic matches, are 13th in the 18-team table with 14 points.
Barticciotto resigned on Thursday, saying some Colo Colo
players had failed to respect his leadership.
Union Espanola moved 10 points clear of Universidad at the
top by winning 3-1 at third-placed Santiago Morning.
PARAGUAY
Cerro Porteno stayed top of the Apertura championship
despite their second successive goalless draw, this time with 12
de Octubre.
Libertad, champions four times in a row, won 3-0 at Tacuary
to close the gap to three points.
ECUADOR
Espoli, a team administered by the national police force,
went top of the championship's first stage with a 2-0 win over
El Nacional, who are run by the army.
Daiwen Caicedo and Santiago Morales netted while El Nacional
defender Jorge Guagua was sent off.
URUGUAY
Penarol went top of the championship's second stage by
coming from behind to beat Central Espanol 2-1 with goals from
Brian Rodriguez and Gerardo Alcoba in the last 20 minutes.
Fabian Coelho had put Central ahead shortly after halftime.
Penarol lead on goal difference from Defensor Sporting, who
did not play. Both teams have 19 points from eight games.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)