Game 16: Veracruz 2 - 4 Pumas

Video here

Pumas finally got a victory that keeps them in a hunt for a repechaje spot, while one defeat too many finally consigned Veracruz to relegation after three years in the top flight. It was an open game, but ultimately the "jarochos" were not good enough and Pumas were able to find a rhythm to restart their championship challenge.

Pumas began with the same team as against Toluca, Iñiguez starting ahead of Barrera. The start was tense as both sides, for different reasons, were desperate to win, and a draw was good enough for neither side. It was Pumas who began emerging as the better side, just as Veracruz scored the opener.

Veteran "El Pony" Ruiz gave Fernando Espinoza the run around all afternoon, and it was his cross which caught Velarde napping at the far post and Balderas sneaked in to net first time past Bernal.

While Iñiguez was insecure down the right, Sambueza continued his excellent run of form by tormenting the right side of the "escualo" defense. Twice crosses caused panic in the area before an excellent run from the same player brought the equaliser. He burst past Peppino and then playing a one-two with Solari raced in front of Garcia to stab past Villaseñor.

The midfield began to be controlled fully by Pumas, except for the excellent Ruiz, and Castro and Leandro seemed more comfortable as they stuck, possibly for the first time this season, to roughly left and right-hand side roles. Scocco and Solari were also revelling in the wide open spaces, a Scocco bicycle kick from the edge of the area being pushed round the post. Meanwhile Solari was at his most mobile this season, coming towards the ball and laying off to the midfield. Nevertheless the Veracruz pressure was sporadic to say the least.

Just before half time Pumas took the lead. Sambueza was fouled out left, and Leandro swung the resulting free kick in for Scocco to arrive late and unmarked to head confidently into the top corner. It was no more then the university deserved as they had asserted full control of the ball throughout the last twenty minutes of the half.

Barrera appeared for a rather subdued Iñiguez after half time, while ex-Puma Cesáreo Victorino came on to add dynamism to the Veracruz midfield. The Pumas defence, as well as Castro and Leandro, seemed to stand off a much improved Veracruz, and they had several well struck attempts at goal, with Victorino, Ruiz and Layún having long range efforts pushed away, more or less securely by Bernal in the Pumas goal.

Barrera missed a great chance to make it three for Pumas, when a return from Solari found him one-on-one with Villaseñor but he rushed the chance and put it over. It mattered little however as Solari himself fired a shot from the edge of the area past the Veracruz keeper for the third. And less than ten minutes later it was four when a nice ball from Scocco pushed Solari into acres of space down the left, and he slid it under Villaseñor for number four, despite Scocco's screams for the return ball into the middle.

Pumas sat back and allowed Veracruz some more long-range shots, Victorino going close again, and they eventually paid as Ruiz curled a nice shot from just inside the area past Bernal for a consolation, after good work by De Nigris. This seemed to galvanise Pumas for the last few minutes and Solari and Palencia both went close late on without being able to add to the score.

Meanwhile the Veracruz faithful had realised that this was the end of their odyssey in the top division, and while some fans began to leave, and others sat on the terraces and cried, one member of the crowd took his frustrations out on a policeman, throwing his big bass drum at the unfortunate security man's head and knocking him down about ten steps to the fencing. Apart from one decent season with Cuauhtémoc Blanco however they have struggled in the Primera division and there has been a lot of talk of maladministration, with chairmen and managers seemingly coming and going on a whim.

Pumas now find themselves having to beat Pachuca at home next week to have a chance of progressing. Even this may not be enough as they have to hope that one of Puebla or Atlas fails to win too. In the meantime Pumas fans will at least have been amused at the response of the Pumas board to América's approach for Darío Verón on loan for the Libertadores - the only way he will ever where yellow is if you buy him they said. I remember Pumas players (was it Scocco and Sancho?) turning out for Toluca last year, but am I the only person who feels the loaning of three players for the final stages of the Libertadores is ludicrous?

Goals
Balderas (11 minutes) 1-0
Sambueza (23) 1-1
Scocco (38) 1-2
Solari (58) 1-3
Solari (63) 1-4
Ruiz (83) 2-4

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Palencia
Veracruz: yellow: De Nigris
Both cards in the last ten minutes in a very clean game. To be honest I don't think either was merited, although I don't suppose Marco Antonio Rodriguez knows how to go through a whole game without reaching into his pocket.

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - did ok, if a little shaky on a couple of long shots.
Espinoza 4 - completely outplayed by Ruiz and stood off him too much. The right-hand side was limited in attack too.
Velarde 5 - at fault for the first goal but did get forward well.
Verón 6 - solid and not put under any pressure.
Palacios 6 - with no men pushing up on him his distribution was better.
Leandro 7 - won the midfield battle and looks more comfortable patrolling mainly the left-hand side.
Castro 6 - steady and put in a couple of nice balls, like the one Scocco scissored towards the corner.
Scocco 7 - excellent movement and a nicely taken goal. Sometimes drifts out of the game though.
Solari 8 - his best game for Pumas, but admittedly given a lot of time. Good movement, distribution and finishing.
Sambueza 8 - a constant thorn in Veracruz's side and the only Puma who can regualrly cross accurately.
Iñiguez 5 - full of running but lacked effectiveness.
Barrera 6 - his pace caused problems but should have scored.
Palencia 5 - like he always does gives 100% but no real penetration
Chiapas 5 - missed a gilt-edged chance at the end for the fifth.

Tuca 7 - I imagine the opposition had something to do with it, but he has got the attack playing with more pace and flair. More of the same needed against Pachuca.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Pachuca drew the first leg of their CONCACAF Cup final 1-1 against Saprissa in San José with a goal from Luis Gabriel Rey, although they must be disappointed to have conceded the equaliser in the last minute. The second leg is in Pachuca on Wednesday.

In the Copa Libertadores Atlas have been drawn against Argentinian champions Lanús with the first leg in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile América play Flamengo of Brazil, with the first leg in the Azteca.

In a game dominated by the "cementeros" a Jaime Lozano penalty gave Cruz Azul a 1-0 victory over lacklustre Monarcas, who are now eliminated. San Luis were unable to take advantage of a limited Atlas side as they drew 0-0 at home. Itamar Batista grabbed the goal that gives Jaguares a direct passage to the Liguilla after a 1-0 in Pachuca, who now have to beat Pumas to be sure of a repechaje place. Meanwhile Santos assured their place in the "Fiesta Grande" by beating Tigres 2-1, and the Monterrey team are now out.

Puebla "celebrated" their salvation from relegation by putting in an abysmal performance against leaders Chivas in the Jalisco, and ended up on the end of a 4-0 battering, Omar Bravo netting his 100th top-flight goal. Meanwhile the champions Atlante are out, beaten 3-2 in Cancún by Monterrey with two goals from Humberto Suazo, the tournament's leading scorer. Toluca qualified direct by beating 10-man Tecos 3-0, and they are now eliminated, while América's dismal run continues as the notched their sixth successive defeat losing 2-0 in Aguascalientes against Necaxa.

Toluca, Jaguares, Santos and Monterrey, plus two of Chivas, San Luis and Cruz Azul go direct to the play-offs. Repechaje will involve the one of those three who doesn't make it, Necaxa, and two of Pachuca, Atlas, Puebla and Pumas.

Next up

Pumas play Pachuca with nothing less than a win needed. Here's hoping they are drained from the CONCACAF Cup. On Tuesday Lanús v Atlas, on Wednesday Flamengo v América in the Copa Libertadores. Meanwhile the quarter-finals of Primera A start on Wednesday with Dorados of Culiacán favourites after finishing top of the table.

Game 15: Pumas 0 - 0 Toluca

Video here.

Despite the continued support of their fans, Pumas are all but out of the Clausura tournament, after a 0-0 draw with group leaders Toluca. Again it was a story of missed chances, and now Pumas have to strive to win the last two games and hope other results go their way.

Tuca selected the same side as last week, with the exception of Scocco for Palencia and Iñiguez for Barrera. Toluca were without the suspended Israel López so Romagnoli played in defensive midfield.

The first half was fairly even, with Pumas trying to push forward in the heat, while Sinha and Da Silva did some handy work for Toluca, breaking up attacks and making things difficult. Leandro was back to something like his regular form, and especially in the first half his tussle with Sinha was fascinating, the two Brazilian-Mexicans struggling for dominance in the middle.

Chances were few but Toluca did find the left flank to their liking and Maciel clearly had the legs on Fernando Espinoza. Twice he raced down the left leaving the Pumas right-back way behind, the first time, early on, Bernal came out early and was lucky to shoulder the ball away for a corner. Then later on, after a poor Bernal clearance he fired the ball across goal and Verón was fortunate not to put into his own net.

Sambueza was Pumas's main threat going forward as he probed down the left-hand side with good support from Velarde. A couple of crosses were just out of reach of a poorly-positioned Solari, but one created the best chance of the first half as Solari headed back to Scocco who should have scored with a free header from close in, but only manged to rattle the angle of crossbar and post.

In the second half Castro raised his game and Pumas were effectively in control. During the first few minutes of the half Solari hit a shot well from the edge of the box from a Sambueza pass, but Cristante made an good save. Then Iñiguez, put through one-on-one with the Toluca keeper spurned the best chance of the game with a horrendous finish which went just wide. Barrera and then Palencia came on to try and add impetus to the Pumas challenge, and they continued to dominate, but a wonderful 1-2 which put Sambueza through just served to illustrate Cristante's fine goalkeeping once again as he save well with his legs from the Argentinian.

As the game moved to a conclusion it became clearer that Pumas were not going to score the precious goal that would keep the tournament in their own hands, and Toluca even had a chance to pinch it near the end when el "Jimmy" Giménez shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area. Pumas now find themselves 5th in group one with 16 points, and 14th in the general table. With two wins maybe Pumas will gain a repechaje spot, but they must rely on other results. Meanwhile Toluca have a two-point lead at the top of group one, and look set to qualify.

This week Leandro signed a contract with Pumas which will in principle keep him at the club till 2012. Meanwhile Tuca has agreed a one year contract deal. Pumas are now negotiating with River Plate to secure Rubens Sambueza on a permanent basis. Sambueza has been impressive, both after his injury in the autumn and throughout this campaign, and it would be good for Pumas to keep hold of him.

Goals
None

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Sambueza
Toluca: yellow: Gamboa, Sinha, Cruzalta, Dueñas

Player Ratings
Bernal 5 - a couple of poor clearances, and unusually jumpy coming out
Velarde 7 - more assured and added dynamism going forward
Verón 6 - still not at his best but no glaring errors
Palacios 5 - needs to work at distribution, was too easily hassled into aimlessly pumping the ball forward
F.Espinoza 5 - done for pace too many times and did not initiate much down the right.
Leandro 6 - good tussle with Sinha, more like his old self.
Castro 6 - much better second half but one or two imprecise passes let him down
Iñiguez 5 - seems to like it more when he comes on as a substitute, but then so does Barrera
Sambueza 8 - an accomplished all-round performance. Pity it couldn't have been capped with the winning goal
Scocco 6 - nice movement but missed an excellent chance
Solari 5 - as usual very static and got out of position on crosses.
Barrera 6 - one or two nice moves after he came on
Palencia 6 - all effort but little impact
Chiapas - only on for a couple of minutes

Elsewhere in Mexico

The Mexican National Team gained a 1-0 victory over China in Seattle in a turgid game at Qwest Field in Seattle. In "el Chucho" Ramírez's first game in charge, Cruz Azul forward César Villaluz scored after a chest down from Sergio Santana. Chivas won impressively 3-0 in Bolivia against San José, but go out of the tournament after Santos beat Cúcuta 2-1. Conversley, América lost poorly 2-0 in Santiago to Universidad Católica, but go through to the last sixteen at the expense of the Chileans by virtue of more goals scored.

Cruz Azul confirmed at least a repechaje place with a 2-0 win at Tecos, after an error by home keeper Corona let in a Zeballos shot. A Humberto Suazo goal gave Monterrey a deserved 1-0 victory over Chivas, while Veracruz kept themselves at least mathematically alive in the relegation fight winning 2-1 in Tuxtla against Jaguares after falling behind to a "Bofo" Bautista goal. Puebla moved to within one point of safety, convincingly seeing off Pachuca 5-2 in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc with a hatrick from Javier Cámpora.

San Luis made hard work of it, but eventually came away with a 2-1 win in Morelia to maintain their challenge, and in a close game Ulises Mendívil scored the winner for Atlas in their 1-0 home win over Tigres. In a game played in 40 degree heat, and which had to be stopped twice to allow players to take on water, Santos and Necaxa shared the points 1-1 in Torréon. Giancarlo Maldonado's return was a boon for Atlante in their return to their old home, the Estadio Azteca, against América, as he grabbed the winner in their 1-0 victory. Whatever happens now, América will finish in last place in the general table, their worst performance in history.

Toluca (24 pts) now lead group one from Jaguares (22pts) and Pachuca (21pts). Santos (25pts) lead group two, followed by Monterrey (21pts) and Atlas (19pts). Group three has Chivas (29pts) ahead of San Luis (29pts) and Cruz Azul (28pts). The first two teams in each group qualify directly for the quarter-finals, while the next four best clubs in the general table play off for the two remaining places. Fixtures are decided by position in the general table with the top-ranked team playing the lowest-ranked then the next highest against the next lowest and so on.

Next Up
Pumas travel to the Estadio Luis "Pirata" Fuentes in Veracruz. It could be the day that Veracruz are relegated... Meanwhile on Tuesday Atlas look to join América in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores as they take on Colo Colo at the Estadio Monumental in Santiago needing a point to qualify.

Game 14: Cruz Azul 2 - 1 Pumas

Video here.

Pumas's chances of reaching the play-offs decreased further on Saturday afternoon as they went down to a lacklustre Cruz Azul side missing Miguel Sabah and Nicolás Vigneri through suspension, plus Edgar Andrade though injury.

The key players for Cruz Azul turned out to be the experienced Gerardo Torrado, whose 28th minute goal gave the "cementeros" a two-goal lead, and novice goalkeeper Yosgart Gutiérrez whose excellent saves will continue to keep veteran Oscar Pérez on the bench.

Pumas began with Castro back in midfield and Fernando Espinoza at right-back. Tuca also continued with the Palencia-Solari partnership up front. Cruz Azul fielded two Pumas stars from the double-winning side of 2004, former captain Joaquin Beltrán in defense, and roaming free-kick specialist Jaime Lozano. A third, "Parejita" López was an unused substitute.

The game was very even from the start, with Cruz Azul in particular looking to unsettle the university rhythm by pressuring in midfield. Both teams were sparring in front of a packed house, not wanting to give anything away.

It was Pumas, however who were the first to give something away. Leandro, who had his worst game in living memory, saw his pass rebound perfectly into the path of Pablo Zeballos, and the Cruz Azul number 9 easily rounded Bernal to put the "cementeros" one up. Pumas created a couple of half-chances with Palencia looking sharp down the inside-right channel. But another Leandro error gave Cruz Azul the chance to go two up. A speculative cross from the right was poorly cleared by the Brazilian and when the ball came back he was too deep and playing the forwards onside. Attempting to atone for his error he rushed forward allowing Torrado to run into the space with a neat one-two before sliding the ball under Bernal who had rushed out too soon.

Apart from the goals the first half had been fairly even. Pumas offered little threat, a Palencia shot to the near post which Gutiérrez had to react sharply to was really all they had to show for their efforts. But Cruz Azul looked innocuous too, their main dangerous moments coming from Lozano, who forced a good save out of Bernal with a snap shot from the edge of the box, and who looked dangerous from dead-ball situations.

In the second half Tuca pepped up the attack by withdrawing Palencia and Barrera (who had been poor) and bringing on Iñiguez and Scocco. This had an immediate effect, as Scocco's extra movement and Iñiguez's pace began to open up spaces. In the 51st minute this partnership pulled a goal back for Pumas, with an excellent cross from Iñiguez being met between two defenders by Scocco who headed confidently past Gutiérrez from 6 yards out.

Pumas controlled the game from then, with Cruz Azul unable to get hold of the ball in midfield. Nonetheless as the "cementeros" fell back more and more, Pumas lacked the pace, movement and imagination to create chances and the minutes ticked by with little sense that the university was likely to score the equaliser. They did manage a nice header from Iñiguez from a Leandro free-kick which was beautifully saved one-handed by Gutiérrez, and a low Scocco cross which the young goalkeeper fumbled but which Solari was unable to finish between two defenders. The last chance of the game fell to Velarde, who belying the lack of faith in his shooting ability, hit a first time shot powerfully towards goal, but again Gutiérrez sprung athletically to turn the ball away.

Pumas now lie bottom of group one, and cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to qualify. Cruz Azul meanwhile look set for at least a repechaje place, although they are in a tough group with San Luis and Chivas for the two automatic spots.

Goals
Zeballos (18 minutes) 1-0
Torrado (28) 2-0
Scocco (51) 2-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Castro, Palacios, Scocco, Verón
Cruz Azul: yellow: Chávez, Riveros

Player Ratings
Bernal 6: some good saves, but made a mess of coming out on the second goal
Velarde 7: starting to find a bit of form
F.Espinoza 5: his only passing options seem to be a square ball to Palacios or an aimless hoof upfield
Palacios 6: caught out for pace on the first goal
Verón 6: needs to be more proactive in starting off Pumas' attacks with more pace
Leandro 4: had a shocking game, the worst I have seen him play. Lost a lot of ball in midfield and little danger going forward
Castro 6: tried manfully to pick up the pieces left by Leandro and secured a lot of possession second half
Barrera 4: poor and listless - has not rediscovered last year's form
Sambueza 5: not his best game - spent much of it on the right, presumably on Tuca's instructions but I like to see him getting down the by-line and crossing with his left.
Solari 4: static, sluggish and uninvolved
Palencia 6: did some good work, and his movement is refreshing after Solari, but too often ends up on the right wing. He did his best work on the edge of the D.
Scocco 7: added some extra verve and movement to the attack.
Iñiguez 7: pace and movement, and for once not let down by his first touch.
Chiapas 6: did reasonably well, but should have come on for Leandro not Sambueza.

Tuca 5: made some good substitutions, but is still persisting with the poor Solari-Palencia combination. Has to take some of the blame for the lack of inventiveness and slowness in attack.

Elsewhere in Mexico

Mexican teams had a good week in international competition this week. Atlas put themselves within one point of qualification for the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores with a convincing 3-1 win over Boca Juniors in Guadalajara. Boca reject and ex-Puma Bruno Marioni netted two for the home side. Meanwhile Chivas kept alive their slim hopes of progressing defeating Santos of Brazil 3-2 in the Jalisco. Incidentally one of the Santos goals was scored by ex-América forward Kléber Boas. Pachuca advanced to the final of the CONCACAF cup despite losing 2-1 to DC United in Washington. Damián Álvares grabbed the crucial goal for Pachuca, and they now play Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica in the final.

Veracruz now look to be hot favourites to go down to Primera A after losing the relegation clash against Puebla on Friday. The poblanos' 2-0 win means they only need 4 points from their last three games to send the "Tiburones" (sharks) down. Even if Puebla manage only 3 points, Veracruz would have to win all their remaining games to stay up.

Five of the weekend's league fixtures ended in draws, San Luis drawing 1-1 with Tecos, Pachuca with Monterrey by the same score, and Necaxa 1-1 with Atlante, in a game watched by Diego Maradona. Monarcas broke their goal drought drawing 2-2 at Tigres but were lucky to earn a point with Fernández missing a late penalty for Tigres. On Sunday Jaguares earned a 1-1 draw in the Bombonera against Toluca despite the home side playing most of the game with 10 after Israel López was sent off, and Da Silva missing a penalty.

Atlas suffered a hangover after their midweek heroics, being thrashed 6-1 by Santos in Torreón with Vuoso getting a hatrick. Meanwhile in the Clásico, Chivas eased past América 3-2 thanks to a brace from Sergio Santana. Salvador Cabaños salvaged some pride for the Águilas (eagles) with two late goals, but América are now officially out of the competition. Chivas meanwhile have assured qualification for at least repechaje. With so many draws the positions for the play-offs remain largely unchanged with Toluca heading group 1, Santos group 2 and Chivas group 3.

Next Up
Pumas host Toluca on Sunday. Look out for Chivas's trip to Oruro in the Bolivian mountains to play San José on Wednesday, and América visit Universidad Católica of Santiago, Chile on Thursday. Mexico play China in an international friendly on Wednesday night in Seattle.

Game 13: Pumas 2 - 3 San Luis

Video here.
You tube highlights

Pumas old boy Braulio Luna (picture) was their torturer in CU on Sunday as a well-organised Potosino side comfortably overcame the Pedregal team. Braulio, who began his career with a four-year stint at the university club, scored twice, the second one a possible goal of the season candidate, and rattled the bar with a 25-yard free-kick.

Pumas now find themselves in a difficult position, 4th place in Group 1 and with a lot of chasing to do to catch Toluca, Pachuca and Jaguares. San Luis sneak to within one point of Chivas at the top of Group three.

Tuca again made a surprising change to the starting line-up, with Carlos Humberto González starting at defensive midfield with Gerardo Espinoza absent. Injuries worries to Castro and Leandro proved unfounded as both were able to start. Palencia retained his place ahead of Scocco.

From the start San Luis dominated possession and looked far more dynamic in attack. Tressor Moreno and Mario Pérez were immediately a nuisance down the flanks and Alfredo Moreno seemed to be getting the better of Verón. Nevertheless Pumas had the first chance when Barrera fed to Palencia who crossed and Solari looked like he couldn't miss but failed to stick out a foot.

However it was predictable that San Luis should score first and Velarde, who had a good game going forward but was fallible in defense, lost the ball on the left. Coudet pressed forward to the by-line past Verón and put in a floating cross which Braulio Luna headed home beautifully, although Castro should have put him under more pressure.

Despite San Luis dominating, Pumas were able to strike back almost immediately when an excellent long ball from halfway by Barrera found Solari on the edge of the area, and he hit home first time from 20 yards for the equaliser. However this did not deter the "Gladiators" who continued to dominate the game, and Alfredo Moreno had a couple of chances, one which just went wide after a good turn shook off Palacios, and one forcing an excellent save out of Bernal. Luna also went close from a free kick when he hit the underside of the bar with Bernal beaten, but the rebound was easily cleared.

At half time Tuca tried to up the tempo by bringing Castro into midfield and putting Fernando Espinoza at fullback. In a sense it worked as Pumas had their best spell of the match to that point, but on 58 minutes they were behind. Tressor Moreno played a corner direct to Luna who was standing deep about 30 yards out, and he hit it superbly first time on the volley, rocketing it past a helpless Bernal.

Iñiguez and Scocco replaced Barrera and Sambueza but made little impression, although Pumas did start to create the odd chance, Palacios going close first with his foot and then with his head from corners, both nicely saved by veteran goalkeeper Adrian Martínez. However Pumas should have had a penalty when "Pikolín" headed towards goal and was caught in the face by the goalkeeper's fist with the ball gone. Amazingly no comment was made by anyone but then goalkeepers are protected far too much in Mexican football.

In the end San Luis were able to reimpose their superiority with a fine individual goal from Tressor Moreno. Receiving the ball deep in the box he deceived both Verón and Palacios with a delicate flick on then rounded Bernal for San Luis's third. From then on there was no sense that Pumas could get back into the game, but deep into injury time a nice through ball by Solari found Scocco surging forward in the box, and when he was brought down it was a clear penalty. Scocco himself rifled the ball home before initiating a pointless argument with Martinez who would not give the ball back. Since the San Luis goalkeeper had already been booked for time-wasting he was riding his luck, but he stayed on the field.

Pumas have just two points from their last 12 and are in serious danger of not qualifying for the "Fiesta grande". I am not convinced that leaving out Scocco is the answer and constantly switching Castro from right back to midfield and back is unsettling the midfield too. Barrera and Scocco in my view are the two players who pose the threat of surprise for Pumas and they must play. Sambueza is unfortunately going through a bad patch and maybe would be better coming on later in the game against a tiring defense. A reaction is needed in the Estadio Azul next week!

Goals
Braulio Luna (15 minutes) 0-1
Esteban Solari (20) 1-1
Braulio Luna (58) 1-2
Tressor Moreno (84) 1-3
Ignacio Scocco (93)(pen) 2-3

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Verón (foul)
San Luis: yellow: Moreno (late challenge), Martinez (time-wasting), Guerrero (foul)

Player Ratings
Bernal 8 : Pumas man of the match, some excellent saves
Velarde 6 : good going forward, particularly when Sambueza went off, suspect at the back
Castro 5 : looking more and more confused at always being moved around
Verón 5 : outplayed by Alfredo Moreno
Palacios 6 : caused danger in both penalty areas
Leandro 5 : some nice touches but was outplayed for control of the middle
Barrera 6 : some nice touches and a superb pass for the first goal
Sambueza 5 : too quiet
Solari 6 : took his goal well but should have had at least one more
Palencia 6 : works hard but very predictable and never really a threat on goal
F. Espinoza 6: good attitude but passes square too much
Scocco 6 : he must play, got into nice positions
Iñiguez 5 : provided nothing that Barrera hadn't done better

Tuca 5 : needs to settle on a team, decide and stick to a defensive midfielder (of the players available it should be Castro) and ditch the predictable Palencia-Solari partnership up front.

Elsewhere in Mexico

América were able to console themselves for their terrible league form with a Libertadores win 4-3 over River Plate in the Azteca, but this clearly did not help them against Pachuca in the league as they lost 3-1 at home, and now have picked up only one point from the last 27. Both teams fielded weakened sides because of international competitions, as Pachuca beat DC United 2-0 on Tuesday in the CONCACAF cup. Tigres lost at Tecos 2-1 despite a fantastic individual goal from Esquivel, while Nexaca overcame Atlas 1-0 in the Jalisco with a Fabiano Pereira goal. Jaguares's fine run came to an end as they lost 2-1 to Cruz Azul in Tuxtla, Edgar Andrade grabbing the winner for the "cementeros".

Humberto Suazo was in fine form for Monterrey, grabbing four as the "Rayos" crushed Veracruz 7-2, Jared Borgetti also getting two for the home side. Morelia made it five games without a goal in their 0-0 draw against Ludueña-less Santos, although they were unlucky not to end their drought as a Landín goal was incorrectly disallowed for offside. Meanwhile a Sergio Santana header pinched a 1-1 draw for Chivas in Cancún against Atlante. Puebla complicated matters further in their relegation struggle, losing at home 2-1 to Toluca.

Toluca, Jaguares and Pachuca head Group one with 22,21 and 20 points respectively. Santos are four points clear of Monterrey in Group two, with Atlas just behind. Chivas still lead Group 3 on 26 points, but San Luis have closed up with 25, and Cruz Azul on 22.

After his four goals against Veracruz, Humberto Suazo leads the goalscoring table with 10, while in the relegation battle it is looking more and more like a scrap between Veracruz (1.0612 points per game) and Puebla (1.0333), although Tigres (1.1327) are not clear of trouble yet.

Next Up
A trip up Insurgentes to meet Cruz Azul. Also look out for Atlas v Boca Juniors on Tuesday, Chivas v Santos (Brazil) on Wednesday, and América travel to Chivas for the clásico next Saturday.