Pumas leave it late to sink teeth into Tigres
Reuters - Sunday 10 April 2011, 20:26
MEXICO CITY - Mexican league pacesetters
Pumas UNAM recovered from their first defeat of the Clausura
championship last weekend by scoring twice in the dying minutes
to beat Tigres UANL 2-0 on Sunday.
The clash between two of the form sides of the championship
at Mexico City's Olympic stadium looked headed for a goalless
stalemate when midfielder Israel Castro put Pumas ahead one
minute from time with a shot into the top corner.
Tigres gave away a penalty four minutes into added time when
Alberto Acosta brought down Javier Cortes and was sent off and
substitute striker Juan Carlos Cacho tucked away the spot-kick.
Pumas are top of Group Three with 28 points from 13 matches,
four points ahead of Morelia who won 3-2 at Cruz Azul on
Saturday with a last-minute winner from midfielder Elias
Hernandez, his second goal of the match.
Cruz Azul are third three points behind Morelia with four
matches to go in the qualifying phase of the championship.
The top two teams in each of the three groups plus the next
two best-placed teams in the overall standings after the
17-match round-robin phase go through to the quarter-finals.
Tigres lead Group One by two points from title holders
Monterrey, who drew 1-1 at home with Santos Laguna in Saturday's
clash between the finalists of the Apertura championship in the
first half of season.
Santos are a lowly fifth in Group One, nine points adrift of
Tigres and seven behind Monterrey.