MEXICO CITY – Santos Laguna defeated Club Tijuana 3-1 on Sunday to move alone into first place in Mexico’s Clausura championship after four rounds.
The result improves Santos Laguna to 10 points, two clear of second-place America, which won 3-1 against San Luis on Saturday.
Chivas picked up their first point of the season with a 0-0 draw against Pumas on Sunday in coach Ignacio Ambriz’s first game in charge. He replaced Fernando Quirarte, who resigned a week ago after Chivas’ third straight loss.
In other results this weekend: Atlas defeated Toluca 1-0, Puebla won 1-0 against Jaguares, Tigres overcame Estudiantes Tecos 2-1, Atlante drew 2-2 against Cruz Azul, Pachuca drew 1-1 against Queretaro, and Morelia vs. Monterrey ended 0-0.
In Santos’ victory, Darwin Quintero opened the scoring in the 27th minute, but Tijuana’s Jose Sand equalized from the penalty spot in the 56th. Christian Suarez was left unmarked at the far post in the 65th, and Juan Pablo Rodriguez wrapped up the scoring with a direct free kick from 25 yards (meters) three minutes from the end.
The result ends Club Tijuana’s 11-game unbeaten run stretching back to last season.
In front of 50,000 fans, Pumas had the best chance against Chivas in the 63rd minute when defender Marco Palacios headed just wide from a corner.
America fell behind when Wilmer Aguirre of San Luis scored in the fourth minute, but three goals before halftime gave America the victory. Ecuadoran Christian Benitez got the first, Brazilian Adolfo Rosinei added the second before Benitez won and converted a penalty in the 35th to give him four goals in four games this season.
Toluca fell from first place when Atlas’ Giancarlo Maldonado scrambled the ball in from a corner three minutes into the second half.
United States international DaMarcus Beasley cut inside from the left hand side of the penalty area and struck a right-foot shot into the top corner of the goal in the fourth minute, giving Puebla its first victory of the season.
Tigres took the lead when Alan Pulido broke free after a defensive error and slotted the ball home. Jose Rivas headed in the second in the 29th with Rubens Sambueza getting one back for Estudiantes Tecos in the 55th.
Cruz Azul’s equalizer came in the 86th minute in disputed circumstances. Television replays showed that Argentine Emanuel Villa used his left hand to push in a left-wing cross into the goal, but the goal was allowed despite protests from Atlante.
Villa gave Cruz Azul the lead in the 17th before a goal from Osvaldo Martinez and a converted penalty from Juan Ezequiel Cuevas put the home side Atlante ahead in the second half.
Queretaro went into the lead against Pachuca when Pablo Vitti finished into the roof of the net in the 27th minute, but Ecuadoran Jaime Ayovi headed in the equalizer for Pachuca in the 51st. Pachuca’s Hector Herrera received his second yellow card and was sent off in the 56th.
On Friday, Jaime Lozano was sent off for Morelia in the 85th, but Monterrey could not take advantage and the game finished scoreless.
