A whistle-stop tour of the weekend's action around the globe, starting with the crowning of Porto as Portuguese champions.

PORTUGAL

Porto won the league title for a third successive time on Saturday after crushing Estrela Amadora 6-0 to reach 63 points and have an unassailable 18-point lead over their main rivals.

Midfielder Yannick Djalo struck twice to give Sporting a 2-0 win over Braga a day later that kept them firmly in the hunt for a Champions League place.

Second-placed Benfica, who drew 0-0 at Boavista, and Vitoria Guimaraes, held 2-2 at Pacos Ferreira on Friday, are level on 45 points with Sporting just two points behind in fourth.

NETHERLANDS

Timmy Simons and Jefferson Farfan scored a goal in each half to earn PSV Eindhoven a 2-0 home victory over Heracles Almelo and put them in pole position for a fourth successive title as they enjoy a five-point lead with two matches remaining.

PSV could have secured their title on Sunday if Ajax dropped points at home against Graafschap Doetinchem though Klaas Jan Huntelaar registered a first half hat-trick in a 4-1 win to postpone the celebrations.

CROATIA

Weekend matches were postponed as a mark of respect for Zadar winger Hrvoje Custic, who died in hospital earlier this week. Custic had hit his head on a concrete wall during a home match against Cibalia Vinkovci at the end of last month.

The country's football association said Zadar's stadium met basic safety requirements but that they would review regulations to improve safety after the "terrible tragedy".

RUSSIA

Rubin Kazan stretched their perfect start to four matches after goals from defender Dato Kvirkvelia and Sergei Semak helped them to a 2-1 home win over Tomsk.

Dynamo Moscow stayed second, two points behind Rubin, after second-half goals from Aleksandr Dimitko and Argentinian Lenadro Fernandez gave them a 2-0 win at Spartak Nalchik.

Champions Zenit St. Petersburg continued a patchy opening to the season with a 2-2 draw at struggling Shinnik Yaroslavl that left them in the bottom half of the table.

UKRAINE

Champions Dynamo Kiev were held to a 3-3 home draw by Metalurh Donetsk but are now two points clear at the top after rivals Shakhtar Donetsk went down 1-0 at home to Chernomorets Odessa.

Dynamo twice came from behind to lead 3-2 against 10-man Metalurh, who had Serhiy Tkachenko sent off on the hour, but had to settle for a draw after Oleksandr Kosyrin's equaliser.

Shakhtar, who have a game in hand over Dynamo, were sank by a Vladimir Korytko penalty. Third-placed Dnypro are a further two points adrift after a 1-0 defeat at Metalist Kharkhiv.

HUNGARY

A superb Adam Hrepka volley gave leaders MTK Budapest a 1-0 win at Zalaegerszeg and kept them four points ahead of Gyori Eto, who were awarded a 3-0 walkover win over bankrupt Sopron after the bottom side were expelled from the league last month.

Cup winners Sopron were placed under administration after failing to settle their debts to players, staff, the tax office and the Football Association.

Champions Debrecen stayed in touch, six points off the pace, with veteran striker Zsombor Kerekes scoring an opportunist goal in their 1-0 home win over Honved Budapest.

SERBIA

Partizan Belgrade stayed five points clear of champions Red Star after their 1-1 draw in an entertaining city derby and 12 ahead of Vojvodina Novi Sad, who slipped to a 1-0 defeat at lowly Napredak Krusevac.

Igor Burzanovic fired Red Star ahead midway through the second half but Brazilian midfielder Juca kept Partizan in the driving seat with a searing volley on the half hour.

SLOVAKIA

Artmedia Bratislava leapfrogged champions MSK Zilina into pole position after beating them 1-0 away thanks to an early goal by the league's top scorer, Juraj Halenar.

Halenar bagged his 14th of the season when he rounded the keeper and cooly slotted home to lift Artmedia two points above Zilina, the winners of four league titles in the last six years.

ROMANIA

Front-runners CFR Cluj lost 2-1 at home to Pandurii Tirgu Jiu and champions Steaua Bucharest took advantage to go level on points with them after a 2-0 home win over Dacia Mioveni.

Dorin Goian and Pepe Moreno struck for Steaua shortly after the break to throw the title race wide open.

MEXICO

Monterrey striker Humberto Suazo scored four times in a 7-2 rout of Veracruz while America extended their winless domestic run to nine games in the Mexican championship.

Monterrey are second in Group Two with 17 points, four behind leaders Santos Laguna, who were held 0-0 by Morelia.

Group Three leaders Guadalajara drew 1-1 at defending champions Atlante and Toluca's 2-1 win at Puebla kept them top of Group One.

Puebla coach Jose Sanchez, whose side are bottom of Group One with 14 points, said in a televised interview after the game that he had been fired.

ARGENTINA

Teenager Diego Buonanotte gave River Plate a 1-0 win at titleholders Lanus to remain at the top of the Argentine championship on Sunday.

River, coached by former Argentina captain Diego Simeone, lead the Clausura championship with 21 points from nine games. Lanus are 17th with only seven points.

There was some confusion as to who was in second place as a result of a postponed game involving Estudiantes two weeks ago.

South American champions Boca were held 1-1 at home by Banfield in a match played on Saturday.

BRAZIL

Gremio's game at home to Juventude, preceded by provocative declarations between officials of the two clubs, turned nasty after the visitors went 3-0 ahead midway through the second half with a goal by Thiago. Four players, including Thiago, were eventually sent off.

In the Paulista championship, striker Adriano scored for the fourth game in a row to set Sao Paulo on their way to a 3-1 win over Juventus.

The win guaranteed Sao Paulo a place in the semi-finals along with Guaratingueta, Palmeiras and Ponte Preta.

Corinthians, needing only a win to pip Ponte Preta for fourth spot, lost 3-2 at Noreste after leading 2-1 with 15 minutes left as Edylton and Leandrinho scored late goals for the hosts.

Reuters