Coudet double inspires River Plate
By Charles Froggatt, for CNN
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Coudet, left, struck twice on his River return.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- River Plate showed they are back on form in the Copa Libertadores by crushing Libertad of Paraguay 4-1 with Eduardo Coudet scoring twice.
With crowd favorite Marcelo Gallardo missing through injury it took former golden boy Coudet to satisfy 50,000 fans with goals after 27 and 75 minutes.
But perhaps the most poignant goal of the week came from Rosario Central striker Mariano Massera who earned a 1-1 draw against Sporting Cristal four days after his father died.
Miguel Angel Russo, Rosario Central's coach, had asked Massera if he wanted to play, having not trained all week.
Massera responded by coming off the bench to secure a draw against the Peruvian team with a header a minute into injury time -- and 42,000 fans chanted his name in tribute.
Argentina's Rosario Central now join Sporting Cristal at the top of group nine followed by Olimpia of Paraguay and Coritiba of Brazil.
River were disappointing last year with archrivals Boca Juniors claiming all the major honors.
Millionaires
But they now top group six with four points from two games following a match that saw the "millionaires" rediscover their flair.
They are followed by Deportes Tolima from Colombia, Deportivo Tachira from Venezuela and Libertad.
In group two, Uruguayan team Fenix came back to beat Argentina's Velez Sarsfield 2-1 while Colombian side Once Caldas beat Maracaibo of Venezuela 2-1.
Velez who won the trophy in 1994 but they now lack the firepower to mount a serious Libertadores campaign, despite the return of veteran Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, once considered one of the world's best.
Once Caldas now top the group while Fenix and Maracaibo leave Velez Sarsfield at the bottom with only a point.
In group five Peruvian side Cienciano revived their campaign with a 1-0 win over El Nacional of Ecuador with a Sergio Ibarra goal. Argentine team Independiente lead the group followed by Cienciano, Nacional of Uruguay and El Nacional.
Striker Luis Fabiano, who scored two goals in Sao Paulo's 3-1 win against Cobreloa of Chile, dedicated the team's victory to the fans, saying their support was crucial.
Sao Paulo returns
Nearly 55,000 people attended the match at Morumbi stadium to watch Sao Paulo's first home game in the South American competition since 1994.
It was one of the team's largest crowds in the past two years and Fabiano said: "The fans need to be congratulated. They cheered the entire match, even when we were having difficulties."
Sao Paulo, Copa Libertadores winners in 1992 and 1993, boast a 14-game winning streak when playing in front of its own fans at Morumbi in the South American competition.
Fabiano, the team's leading scorer in 2004 with 10 goals, put Sao Paulo ahead in the second minute, and then sealed the win with another goal in injury time.
