Not considered among the pre-season favourites for the league title, having barely strengthened a squad that had finished a lowly eleventh in the preceding 2006 Apertura, San Lorenzo confounded their doubters by storming to the 2007 Clausura championship.

Unexpected and dazzling would probably be the best way to sum up El Ciclón's campaign. Steering his charges to victory was none other than Ramon Diaz, the livewire striker who lit up the FIFA World Youth Championship 1979 and 17 years later embarked on what would be a hugely successful spell in charge of River Plate. This latest league crown, the first for ElPelado since leaving the Millonarios, has further enhanced the coach's popularity in his homeland.

Trailing in behind the Azulgranas were Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata, two of the most consistent performers all season, while a host of other big-name clubs finished well off the pace and look in need of major changes ahead of the next Apertura.

Ramon to the rescue
Founded in 1908, and with 12 titles to their name, San Lorenzo de Almagro are long-time members of Argentina's footballing elite. For all of that, LosSantos' prospects this year looked far from encouraging after a hugely disappointing 2006 Apertura that included heavy defeats by Boca Juniors (7-1) and River Plate (5-0).

The man tasked with reversing this slump was Ramon Diaz. Known for his ability to motivate players, the 47-year-old threw himself into the challenge and quickly changed the mood at the club. Nor did the coach waste time in making changes to the squad, insisting on the purchase of central midfielder Cristian Ledesma, making Agustin Orion his first-choice keeper, and bringing in striker Gaston Fernandez, hitherto out of favour at River Plate.

These decisions proved inspired. So impressive were Orion and Ledesma during the campaign that the pair earned call-ups to Alfio Basile's Argentina squad, while Fernandez found the net nine times to finish third in goal-scorers' charts.

"I always believed in those players. They showed their desire to improve week after week. My whole family advised me not to take the job, telling me I had too much to lose. Now, they're congratulating me and telling me I was right all along," the coach admits.

Diaz's men produced an impressive series of results, winning 14 of their games, drawing three and losing just two, both away from home. The club wrapped up the championship on June 10 courtesy of a 4-2 win over Arsenal de Sarandi, six years after the Buenos Aires outfit last claimed a league title.

Second and third respectively behind San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata can be pleased with their exploits this season. With a largely unchanged squad, Diego Simeone's Pincharratas came close to retaining their title, and were one of only two sides this year to take three points from the champions. Meanwhile, the Xeneize, now with Miguel Russo at the helm, had to settle for runners-up spot, this despite accumulating the most points in the combined Apertura and Clausura tables, and having the Clausura's top scorer in Martin Palermo who found the net 11 times.

With a lot less to cheer about were Daniel Passarella's River Plate who, having stretched their squad to compete on various fronts, failed to impress in any of them. First they crashed out the Copa Libertadores in the group phase, then they lost their way in the league, ending up in a disappointing fourth place, having won their first four matches. Avellaneda's big two, Independiente and Racing, disillusioned their fans and ditched their respective coaches, Jorge Burruchaga and Reinaldo Merlo, during the course of a campaign both clubs will be eager to forget.

Other news of note was the historic first qualification of Arsenal de Sarandi for the Copa Libertadores 2008, and another good campaign by Lanus, who will earn a place in the qualifying round of the same tournament if Boca are crowned 2007 champions later this week. The 2008 Copa Libertadores, just like the next Copa Sudamericana, will also feature Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, River Plate and Estudiantes. At the other end of the spectrum, Belgrano and Quilmes must now prepare for life in the Segunda División after another irregular campaign.

Key names
Among the standout players for San Lorenzo in the recent Clausura were Cristian Tula, a stalwart defender with a knack for scoring important goals, and gifted forwards Adrian Silvera and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

At Boca, meanwhile, playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme provided plenty of service for the in-form Martin Palermo up front, and was ably assisted by young midfielders Pablo Ledesma and Ever Banega, the latter one of the stars of the country's U-20 side. Over at River Plate, one promising performance was that of keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, who, alongside Orion, had the best defensive record of the campaign.

Paraguay's Oscar Cardozo was again the key player for Newell's Old Boys, weighing in with no fewer than ten goals. Juan Veron and Claudio Lopez, to varying degrees, brought the benefit of their European experience to bear at Estudiantes and Racing respectively, while Ricardo La Volpe's Velez side will have been encouraged by the form of Damian Escudero, the latest midfield wonder to emerge from Argentina's seemingly bottomless pool of talent.

Final standings
1. San Lorenzo
2. Boca Juniors
3. Estudiantes de La Plata

Top scorers
1. Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors) - 11
2. Oscar Cardozo (Newell's Old Boys) - 10
3. Gaston Fernandez (San Lorenzo) - 9

Relegated sides
1. Quilmes
2. Belgrano de Cordoba