Paid Their Dues: Lopez and Martinez Face Off

Faryd Mondragon didn't have much to do on Saturday as Deportivo Cali held Once Caldas to six shots, four of which were off target. Nestor Camacho's 44th minute penalty kick was enough to maintain Cali's perfect record in the Clausura semifinals. Having recorded 12 points from four games, Cali's spot in the Final has been secured. After Los Verdiblancos play Millonarios and Deportivo Pasto to close out the semifinals, they will take on the winner of the other group in a home-and-home. At the moment, Juan Pablo Angel and Atletico Nacional lead Group A, with Junior sitting three points back. Carlos Valdes and Santa Fe are seven points out, eliminating them from the playoffs.

In Costa Rica, two Union alum faced off in El Clásico Nacional. Alajuelense and Saprissa are two of the most successful clubs in Costa Rica, and they have been showing that this season, sitting in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Saprissa snapped LDA's win streak of five games, and their four-game shutout streak. The 1-0 scoreline was pretty tame compared to the 4-4 draw and 3-0 LDA win that resulted from their last two matches. Sadly, Josue Martinez was not the man who brought home the bragging rights for Saprissa, as his teammate Deyver Vega had the winner. Porfirio Lopez and Alajuelense won't have to endure the taunts of their rivals for long, though, as they're slated to play again this Monday.

Kai Herdling, who had not scored a Bundesliga goal until a month ago, now has two. His 52nd minute goal looked to be the winner, but Philipp Bargfrede's stoppage time tally split the points between the two sides: Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen. Next week, Hoffenheim go up against Jermaine Jones and Schalke. Good luck, Kai!

Joe Tait scored a goal! Joe was subbed in for Colin Larkin, a striker, in the 60th minute, and scored in the 87th. Usually, a substitution like this is aimed to help preserve a lead, like the one Gateshead had at the time of swap. In this instance, however, this was not the case. Since Gary Mills took over as manager, Gateshead have posted a record of 11-4-2, with those two draws coming in the FA Cup. Gateshead have amassed 13 points in their last six games, only one point behind Luton Town, who have 14 points in the same stretch. Add on to that Gateshead's 4-1 win in the FA Trophy this weekend, a match-up so lopsided that Joe Tait felt bad and only scored once. Gateshead sit three points out of the promotion playoffs with more than half the season left to play. Next week, they will host Oxford City in an FA Cup replay. Expect a Tait hat-trick.