By IVES GALARCEP
Club America handed defending champion Club Tijuana their first loss of the Clausura season on Saturday to leapfrog the Xolos and stay within striking distance of unbeaten league leaders UANL Tigres.
An Osvaldo Martinez penalty and Paul Aguilar second-half strike gave Club America a 2-0 lead on the home team, and while a Pablo Aguilar strike gave Tijuana some hope late in the second half, Las Aguilas held on for the victory.
Tigres moved into sole possession of first place in the Mexican League after posting a 4-1 thrashing of Toluca. A Juninho goal in the first half, coupled with a second-half Lucas Lobos penalty gave Tigres the lead on the road, but Toluca’s Edgar Duenas made things interesting with a 78th-minute strike. Tigres closed the show with a pair of stoppage-time goals to turn the match into a rout.
Santos Laguna looked like a team in dire need of star striker Oribe Peralta as they struggled in a rare home loss on Sunday, falling 1-0 to Pachuca. Hector Herrera provided the winning tally for the Tuzos, while Santos failed to score without Peralta, who was sidelined with a nasal fracture suffered during Mexico’s World Cup qualifying tie vs. Jamaica.
Here is a rundown of this weekend’s action in Mexico.
WEEKEND MEXICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
SUNDAY
Toluca 1, UANL Tigres 4
Santos Laguna o, Pachuca 1
SATURDAY
Cruz Azul 1, UNAM Pumas 1
Queretaro 1, Chiapas 1
Monterrey 0, Chivas Guadalajara 1
Club Tijuana 1, Club America 2
Atlas 2, Atlante 1
San Luis 1, Puebla 3
FRIDAY
Morelia 1, Leon 0
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DaMarcus Beasley, Puebla. No, not because he’s American, but because he came off the bench and broke a tie with a pair of second half goals. Hector Herrera deserves an honorable mention nod as well.
NEXT WEEK’S GAME OF THE WEEK
UANL Tigres vs. Santos Laguna. The league leaders put their unbeaten record on the line against a Santos side that will be looking to rebound from a rare road loss.
Pachuca vs. Cruz Azul. After a win in Torreon vs. Santos, Pachuca will look to hold serve at home against an unbeaten Cruz Azul side that has just two wins in six matches.
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What do you think of this weekend’s results in Mexico? See Tigres holding on to the top spot? Think Club Tijuana will turn around their recent slump? Think Santos Laguna can rebound without Peralta?
Share your thoughts below.