Game 10: Atlante 2 - 0 Pumas

Video here.

In a quality game of football on a damp night in Cancún Atlante moved up to second place in the general table after edging past Pumas, who have not defeated Atlante since 2004. The Atlante goals were both the result of Pumas errors, and the university side also finished the game with ten men.

Pumas started with the same side that lost to San Luis last week, but with the suspended Verón replaced by Carlos Humberto González, and Jehu Chiapas promoted ahead of Alex Diego. Íñiguez was on the bench, with Toledo continuing on the right flank. Atlante had their main playmakers available and their chief threats came from Christian "El Hobbit" Bermúdez, Gabriel "El Místico" Pereyra and Venezuelan Giancarlo Maldonado. Pumas old boy Gerardo Espinoza was also in the line-up.

The game started at the right rhythm for Pumas as they began strongly, dominating possession and moving the ball around fluently. Morales was looking lively on the left and Chiapas supported well from midfield. Meanwhile Cacho and particularly Dante López were moving around nicely and creating space. Early on Chiapas sent in a cross from the right which found López open but the ball was just taken off his head by Cacho as they failed to communicate. Then Chiapas found Toledo who brought the ball down and fired across Vilar but against the inside of the upright.

As time wore on Pumas continued to dominate but could not create too many more chances as the Atlante defense settled. And it was completely against the run of play that Atlante took the lead. From a free kick at least 30 yards out Maldonado drilled the ball low at the three-man wall. The ball flicked from López's boot with a slight deflection sending it past a sluggish Bernal. There is a case for saying that there should not have been a wall at all from that distance, and it did not help Bernal, but then he was the one who took responsibility for organising it.

The goal kick-started the "potros" effort and Pumas were thrown more onto the back foot. The game slowed down and it suited Pereyra who was able to control things more, managing to slot one pass through to Maldonado who put it wide after Bernal narrowed the angle.

Despite the scoreline Pumas had been the better team in the first half, but Ferretti clearly thought a change was needed, and he replaced Toledo with Íñiguez and Cacho with Palencia for the second half. Atlante came out unchanged, and proceeded to push forward with more urgency. Pumas moved the ball around nicely but Atlante seemed to have that extra penetration. A Maldonado free kick caught Pereyra on the shoulder and it clipped the outside of the post, and Venegas came close with a header.

The game was effectively decided in the 67th minute with the sending-off of Marco Antonio "Pikolín" Palacios. The Pumas number 3 came in to tackle Ovalle on the right-hand touchline. Ovalle pushed the ball on but it was intercepted by Palacios at full stretch, and then the Atlante left-back fell over Pikolín's outstretched leg. Strictly interpreting the laws it should have been an Atlante throw-in, but you can imagine a referee giving a free kick. But to the surprise of almost everyone in the stadium, Fabián Delgado, who was in a poor position to see, gave Palacios a direct red. It was a strange move, as he had had a great game up till then, and only a shaky five minutes after the incident. Perhaps he was influenced by the roar from the crowd, but I am mystified at referees making decisions on incidents they don't see.

Velarde moved into centre-back and Chiapas to left-back, and with Martin Bravo now on for Morales (incidentally upsetting Íñiguez's rhythm by shifting him to the left) Pumas carried on probing for the equaliser. But the balance of the team was not there and the "Potros" were able to counter-attack with much more threat, and in the last fifteen minutes they created a few opportunities. Maldonado hit the outside of the post with a shot from outside the area and Pereyra lobbed over with just Bernal to beat, while Rey volleyed one-on-one straight into the goalkeeper's arms.

Nevertheless with five minutes left, Atlante's victory was safe as Rey capitalised on a misunderstanding between Velarde and Bernal. As Rey came through Velarde got ahead of him and was easily shepherding the ball into the oncoming Bernal's hands, but at the last minute he gently touched it past him, and Luis Gabriel "El Canguro" (the Kangaroo - watch his goal celebration) Rey took advantage to roll the ball into the empty net.

Despite losing their last two, Pumas remain top of a tight Group 2, while Atlante stretch their advantage at the top of Group 1.

Goals
Giancarlo Maldonado (24 minutes) 1-0
Luis Gabriel Rey (85) 2-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Chiapas, red: Palacios
Atlante: none

Player Ratings
Bernal 5 - not a great game, possibly at fault for both goals
Velarde 6 - played pretty well, a pity about the error for the second goal
Palacios 7 - a rock in the defense and should not have been sent off
González 5 - Pereyra, Bermúdez and Maldonado often found it easy to play in the ball behind him: Verón was missed
Juárez 6 - a sound if unspectacular game
Chiapas 7 - neat and tidy, composed and put in some good crosses
Morales 6 - started brightly but faded
Toledo 6 - looked lively, but Ovalle slowly got the measure of him and by the end of the first half he was lying too deep
Castro 6 - early on he was in command, but did not impose himself enough on the attack
Cacho 5 - disappointing again. There were moments where he seemed to have half an understanding with López but...
López 7 - lots of movement and work-rate, but too often was working with his back to goal
Íñiguez 5 - didn't take people on and barely produced a cross. Hardly helped that he was switched wings after ten minutes
Bravo 5 - there were touches of what might be, but against good opposition it is not enough
Palencia 6 - did what he always does, works hard but never looks like scoring

Tuca 6 - should have persisted with the first half line-up for longer, although he probably made the right changes.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Youngster Arnhold Rivas, recently and rather controversially called up to the national squad, grabbed two for Tecos as they beat Jaguares 3-1 in Chiapas. Puebla held on for a 1-1 draw in San Luis after a nice effort by Horacio Peralta had put them ahead. Rodolfo Salinas equalised for the "Gladiadores". Pachuca gained a 2-1 home victory against Monterrey thanks to a Bruno Marioni penalty, while Tigres dominated against Indios but lost 1-0 after missing a penalty and having Blas Pérez sent off for a gesture aimed at the linesman.

In the "clásico tapatío" (Guadalajara derby) Chivas sneaked past rivals Atlas 1-0 with a goal from Xavier Baéz. Héctor Mancilla continued his good goalscoring form with one of the goals in Toluca's 2-1 defeat of champions Santos, and Andrés "El Condor" Mendoza hit a brace as Morelia beat Necaxa 3-1. Salvador Cabañas scored his fifth goal in five games, as he hit two to help América to a 2-0 win against Cruz Azul in the "clásico capitalino".

San Luis top the general table, from Atlante, while Pumas drop back to third. These three sides top their respective groups.

Pumas Morelos claimed a 3-1 win at Tiburones Rojos de Coatzacoalcos, with goals from Luis Rosas (2) and Orlando Pineda. In the second division Pumas Naucalpan drew 1-1 with Inter Playa, but won the bonus point 5-3 on penalties.

Next Up
Pumas host Houston Dynamo in CU on Tuesday night in the CONCACAF Champions League. Other games include Cruz Azul's visit to DC United on Wednesday, and Atlante enertaining Joe Public on Thursday.

In the Copa Sudamericana Chivas travel to Atlético Paranaense on Tuesday after their 2-2 draw in Guadalajara, while on Wednesday San Luis defend their 2-1 scoreline in Argentina against Argentinos Juniors.

CONCACAF CL Game 2: Pumas 3 - 0 LA Firpo

Video here.

Pumas got their selection right this time and easily overcame a disappointing Luis Ángel Firpo side who were unable to hold on to possession long enough to create a real threat. The hero was youngster David Cabrera (picture) who scored two of the three goals. The damage was done in the first half, and Pumas possibly should have had more missing a hatful of second-half opportunities.

Tuca's selection for the game was made easier by the suspension of Darío Verón from the coming game against Atlante and the return from injury of Ismael Íñiguez. Cacho, who has been out of sorts, partnered Palencia up front, while Bernal added his experience in goal.

Ironically, as it turned out, Firpo started the brighter, and had their only chance of the night in the 3rd minute, Patricio Gómez forcing Bernal into little more than a regulation save. But from then on it was one way traffic as the home side took the lead after ten minutes. Jehu Chiapas put in a dangerous cross from the right, and Cabrera met it beautifully about eight yards out to head past Juan José Gomez.

The game was not pretty, but Verón and González had little difficulty containing the central americans, while Íñiguez always looked threatening down the right. Although not at their best, Palencia and Cacho got into some nice positions, and the latter had two shots saved, while "Paco" pulled a couple of chances wide.

Then with two quick strikes the game was all but over. On 35 minutes a Palencia cross found its way through to Orlando Pineda at the back post and he finished clinically into the bottom corner. And two minutes later "el Cachas" Íñiguez raced down the right to the by-line and fired in a cross which bounced nicely for Cabrera to volley his second.

The Salvadoreans now lost any rhythm they had and Pumas were able to move the ball about at will and create any number of chances. But they had little luck in finishing and also missed some excellent opportunities to increase the score. Cacho hiit the post when it was easier to score, Pineda miss hit going for his second, and Palencia shot straight at the keeper.

The second half continued the same pattern as Tuca made no changes. Chiapas fired over on the hour while Palencia and Cacho also had chances which were pushed away by Gomez in the Firpo goal. There was a lack of urgency from both sides at this point, from Firpo who evidently realised the game was gone, and from Pumas who clearly thought the job was done. There was time, however, for three young "canteranos" (players who have come through the youth set-up) to have a run out, as Luis Rosas, Luis Fuentes and Javier Cortés all saw some action near the end.

The victory puts Pumas top of their qualifying group after Dynamo Houston's draw in Panama against San Francisco. This was Firpo's first match of the group stages.

Goals
David Cabrera (11 minutes) 1-0
Orlando Pineda (35) 2-0
David Cabrera (37) 3-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Verón
Firpo: yellow: Alas, Patricio Gómez

Player ratings
Bernal 6 - largely untroubled and added calm to the defence
Verón 6 - not at his best, but never needed to be
González 6 - seems happier when partnered by Verón
Pineda 6 - a decent effort. Got a goal and came forward with purpose
Espinoza 6 - always shows determination and little troubled in defence
Diego 6 - a solid effort
Chiapas 7 - lots of effort and movement
Cabrera 7 - two goals and an enthusiastic display
Íniguez 7 - caused trouble every time he had the ball
Cacho 6 - played ok but not his night
Palencia 6 - works hard, but his shooting is suspect. Where does he get the "gatillero" nickname?
Rosas, Fuentes, Cortés - only on for a little while

Tuca 7 - the selection was right this time and it is hardly his fault that so many chances were missed.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Santos lost 3-1 in a rain storm in Puerto Rico against the Islanders, and Oribe Peralta and coach Daniel Guzman were sent off. Cruz Azul easily saw off the "Monstruo morado" (purple monster) of Deportivo Saprissa 4-0, including a fabulous Torrado goal. Atlante played out a dull 0-0 in Montreal against Impact.

In the Copa Sudamericana San Luis beat Argentinos Juniors 2-1 with goals from Braulio Luna and Tressor Moreno. Chivas played disappointingly in their home leg, managing only a 2-2 draw against an Atlético Paranaense reserve team.

The Mexican national team, with a distinctly strange look without the services of many of their first-choice players, played out a miserable 1-0 defeat to Chile with the goal coming from a Valenzuela own goal. I am amazed that with so many players out this fixture was allowed to be an official international, but Eriksson clearly found out that his first-choice team is significantly better.

Next Up
Pumas travel to Cancún to take on Atlante. Other interesting games are Toluca v Santos amd América v Cruz Azul. Pumas Morelos travel to Coatzacoalcos.

CONCACAF Champions League So Far:- (Brought to you by DT, scroll down the posts to see the links to video highlights of all games)
Preliminary Round First Legs
Preliminary Round Second Legs
Group Stage Matchday One
Group Stage Matchday Two

Game 9: Pumas 0 - 1 San Luis

Video link here.

With a rather limp performance against San Luis in CU, Pumas lost their 100% home record and the leadership of the "Tabla general". There was not much to choose between the teams but the home team lacked cutting edge and San Luis definitely created the better chances.

After the midweek struggle in Panama, Ferretti switched back to the regular line-up with Diego continuing in Leandro's position and Toledo wide right. San Luis started with Tressor Moreno on the bench.

The game began evenly with San Luis containing the wide threat of Morales and Toledo, while Palacios controlled the middle for Pumas, and Castro mopped up in front of him. If the early exchanges were even, San Luis slowly began to build a bit of pressure and Martiínez put in a dangerous cross which was miskicked and then put wide.

After 20 minutes San Luis were ahead. Monjaraz doubled back and put in an angled cross from the right. It was speculative and overhit, but Víctor Piriz backed away from an inattentive Efraín Juárez and headed past Bernal. It was a poor goal to give away - if Juárez had managed just a little more pressure on Piriz he would not have scored. Pumas became nervous and San Luis grew in confidence, despite neither side being able to create significant openings.

There was very little action from either side for the rest of the half as the "Potosinos" played cautiously inviting a Pumas side forward who lacked penetration. In fact a rather distracted Verón nearly let in Martínez during a mix up with Bernal.

"Tuca" needed to make changes, and at half time the ineffectual Diego gave way to Paco Palencia and a change to a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Palencia tucking in behind Cacho and López. Although this meant less of a protective barrier in front of the defence, and one or two shaky moments, it also added to the Pumas attack. First Velarde created a clear chance for Morales who pulled a weak shot straight at the keeper, and then Cacho got through one on one but could not beat veteran goalkeeper Adrián Martínez.

Pumas continued to push forward with more menace, while leaving more space behind, and Bernal did well to push a Coudet header onto the post, after a good cross from Olmedo, and Palacios scrambled the rebound clear. Martín Bravo came on for his league debut in place of Toledo and within ten minutes he had a yellow card to follow his red on Tuesday, needlessly pushing the San Luis goalkeeper. Nevertheless he looked happier and fitter than against San Francisco. In the meantime he missed a fair chance when stumbling before putting his shot wide from the right hand side of the area.

The home team began to run out of steam, and if anything San Luis could have had a second before the end, while both teams had headers go over the bar. Coudet then missed a free header five yards out that would have killed the game. San Luis just about deserved to win, and Pumas need to get back to the more dynamic play they showed against Atlas if they are not to fall away. However they remain top of group 2 and still well placed in the tournament. San Luis meanwhile go back to the top of the general classification.

Goals
Víctor Piríz (19 minutes) 0-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Verón (now suspended for the next game), Diego (for a mindless handball), Bravo, López
San Luis: yellow: Israel Martínez, Adrián Martínez, Salinas

Player Ratings
Bernal 7 - didn't do much wrong and a great save from Coudet
Velarde 7 - looked almost more of a danger down the left than Morales
Verón 5 - well short of his best
Palacios 7 - made up for his more illustrious colleague's poor game
Juárez 5 - still has too many defensive lapses and has cost 40% of Pumas goals this season
Diego 5 - does not do enough as a ball winner
Castro 7 - had to do alot of the work in the middle
Cacho 5 - disappointing after an apparent breakthrough a couple of weeks ago
Morales 6 - tricky but well-marshalled
Chiapas 6 - neat but not particularly penetrating
Toledo 6 - had his moments of menace but not sufficient
López 6 - a sterling effort but did not really get in many goalscoring positions
Palencia 7 - revived the midfield when he came on
Bravo 6 - looks a feisty character but has to learn to control his enthusiasm

Tuca 5 - should have been on the touchline to marshall his troops but after his hissy fit last week was in the stands.

Elsewhere in Mexico
The biggest game of the weekend, Cruz Azul v Santos, turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Entering the final couple of minutes it was headed for a draw 0-0 when Matías Vuoso looked to have fired his second last-minute winner in a week, after good work from Benítez. But deep into injury time Torrado fired in an equaliser when he was left alone on the edge of the area, and the game finished 1-1.

Morelia grabbed a surprising 4-0 win away at Monterrey with Hugo Droguett the star, scoring two and creating the others. Chivas won controversially at home to Jaguares after a dubious penalty decision based on a supposed push on Arellano. Morales converted the kick for the 1-0 victory.

Atlas came back from 2-1 down in Ciudad Juárez to win 4-2 against Indios, Ariel Bogado scoring two. Toluca were lucky to get away with a 1-1 draw in Aguascalientes after referee José Peñalosa disallowed two perfectly good Necaxa goals in the second half. To make matters worse Fernando López and coach Salvador Reyes were both sent off for their protests.

Puebla and Tigres shared the points in a dull 0-0 in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc. Meanwhile América find themselves at the bottom of group 2 after losing at home 2-1 to Atlante for whom ex-tuzo Luis Gabriel Rey and "El Hobbit" Bermudez got the goals. The match between Tecos and Pachuca was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

Group 1: Atlante (16pts); Santos (13); Monterrey (12); Pachuca (8); Puebla (8); Indios (7)
Group 2: Pumas (16); Cruz Azul (15); Tecos (12); Morelia (11); Chivas (10); América (9)
Group 3: San Luis (19); Tigres (14); Atlas (11); Toluca (10); Necaxa (8); Jaguares (8)

Incidentally, the bottom five in the relegation struggle are (from the bottom up) Indios, Puebla, Tecos, Tigres and Necaxa.

The leading goalscorers are Ariel Bogado of Atlas (7), Hugo Rodallega of Necaxa (6) and Héctor Mancilla of Toluca (6).

Next Up
Pumas take on Firpo of El Salvador in CU on Wednesday in game 2 of the CONCACAF Champions Leaue. Cruz Azul host Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, Atlante travel to Montreal to face Impact and Santos face the Puerto Rico Islanders. In the first leg of the round of sixteen ("octavos de final") of the Copa Sudamericana Chivas host Atlético Paranaense and San Luis are at home to Argentinos Juniors.

Meanwhile Mexico play a friendly against Chile in the US on Wednesday. It is not a FIFA date so no players with European teams or players from any of the above teams are available.

CONCACAF CL Game 1: San Francisco 1 - 1 Pumas

Video here.

In a complicated game played by effectively the Pumas reserve team, the UNAM team managed to gain a point away in Panama, despite playing nearly half the match with nine men. Although they took an early lead, in the end Pumas were hanging on against limited opposition who nevertheless might have stolen the victory.

Few of the university starting line-up had much first team experience, and none started in the last match against Tigres. Palencia, C.H. González and Fernando Espinoza were the most experienced players, with Alex Diego and Jehu Chiapas having had a few first team games. Patiño started in goal ahead of Alejandro Palacios, and Martín Bravo (picture) started his first game for the club after the problems of getting the necessary paperwork out of the Argentinian Federation.

Right from the start Pumas were in command of possession, and it looked as if the Panamanians would rely on pumping in crosses to their tall strikers Pérez and Zapata. Nevertheless there was a lack of cohesion and penetration from the Mexicans, not unsurprisingly since the players will not have played together in this way before.

The start was ideal for Pumas as in the 7th minute they were ahead. A free kick was taken short to Espinoza, and he skipped round one to unleash a shot which took a deflection and ended up going in off the underside of the bar. From here it should have been plain sailing with the amount of ball that the UNAM had at their disposal, but goalkeeper Odin Patiño looked nervous, and Juan Carlos Ramírez looked at sea, with González lacking the height of Palacios to deal with awkward crosses.

San Francisco hit back five minutes before half time with a predictable header which Zapata put away unmarked despite being surrounded by four Pumas defenders. And worse was to follow before the break. Bravo, in his debut game, had looked a little sluggish but vaguely promising when the assistant referee called over Joel Aguilar who was in charge, as a result of Temis Pérez writhing around on the floor. It transpired that the Panamanian had pulled Bravo's hair and he had reacted with an elbow to the chest. The punishment Aguilar decided on was a direct red for the elbow (which was justifiable if a little harsh) and nothing for the hair pulling (which actually caused the incident). Clearly Bravo should not have reacted as he did, but the referee had given little protection to the players and Pérez should have had a caution.

Not long after half time, despite more or less continuing to control possession, Pumas were down to nine. Patiño came out carelessly dragging his foot out, despite the fact there was little danger, and succeeded in felling Pérez and earning the second red of the night. Orlando Pineda came off and Alejandro Palacios took over in goal, and looked a little more secure.

The rest of the match was San Francisco pushing forward but short on ideas, and Palencia remaining the loan striker for Pumas. There were one or two close calls, especially some panicky moments on crosses, but generally the away team held on comfortably to take home a point. San Francisco also had a man sent off (Rivera) towards the end for a second yellow card.

Goals
Fernando Espinoza (7 minutes) 0 - 1
Alberto Zapata (41) 1 - 1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Cabrera, Espinoza, red: Bravo, Patiño
San Francisco: yellow: Ortega, Jiménez, red: Rivera

Player Ratings
Patiño 4 - unconvincing, missed one cross dreadfully, fumbled a couple more and got sent off in a clumsy fashion
Ramírez 5 - looked at sea but settled as the game went on
González 5 - not bad but Pumas needed more direction from a man of his experience
Espinoza 7 - the best player on the field and also got the goal. Dynamic and creative.
Pineda 5 - looked poor in the air and his marking was suspect but showed commitment
Diego 5 - despite a lot of ball was unable to influence the shape of the game
Chiapas 5 - is still being switched around from position to position. He needs to settle
Rosas 6 - could develop into a decent player but the clock is ticking on the return of Iñiguez and later Barrera
Palencia 6 - worked hard, but isolated for much of the game
Bravo 5 - not match fit and a foolish loss of control, despite the provocation, cut his debut short
Palacios, A 5 - steadier than Patiño but that is not saying much
Medina 5 - had little to do but steady a nine-man line-up
Cortés - only came on in the dying seconds

Tuca 5 - no blame can be cast on Tuca for the sendings off, and without them Pumas should have gone on to win. Nevertheless it is questionable to say the least playing a reserve team in an international competition. Wasn't that Miguel España's mistake?

Elsewhere in Mexico
Chivas scraped through unconvincingly to the last 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. Leading 2-1 from the away leg against Aragua, they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home, Sergio Santana scoring and missing a penalty, and so go forward 3-2 on aggregate.

San Luis also made it to the round of 16, losing 3-2 in Ecuador against Deportivo Quito, but going through by virtue of their 3-1 win in the first leg in San Luis.

Santos picked up three points at home to Municipal in the CONCACAF Champions League, winning 3-2 at home thanks to a late goal from Vuoso. A weak and strangely aligned Cruz Azul team was brushed aside 2-0 by Honduran Champions Marathón.

Atlante looked the most impressive of the Mexican sides in the competition, and won reasonably comfortably with a young side against Olimpia of Honduras, despite the narrow 1-0 scoreline. The goal came in the first half from Arturo Muñoz.

The Mexican Federation has announced that from Game 10 a pink ball will be used in the league, as in previous tournaments, to support Breast Cancer awareness.

Next Up
Pumas entertain ex-leaders San Luis in the Olympic Stadium on Sunday. The pick of the other games is Cruz Azul v Santos. Pumas Morelos don't play this weekend.

Game 8: Tigres 0 - 2 Pumas

See the goals here.

Pumas secured a hard-fought away win in Monterrey against Tigres, and moved to the top of the general table. In a very tight and even game, two goals in stoppage time at the end of the second half claiming the victory for the UNAM.

Pumas started the game with Diego still filling in for Leandro, Toledo down the right wing, and Dante López returning for Palencia up front. Tigres started with ex-Pumas captain Antonio Sancho in midfield, with "Kikín" Fonseca working down the left wing.

The game began with Pumas pushing forward but with little success against a well-organised Tigres defence. Alex Diego managed one long-range effort, but otherwise Tigres were sitting back and looking to counter. However before long they found themselves having to work in attack too as Verón and Palacios had easily snuffed out the counter-attacking threats, and it was then Bernal had to be alert to make a save from Lucas Lobos.

As the first half wore on, Fonseca was getting more joy down the left against Juárez and Tigres had the clearest chances with Blas Pérez looking dangerous down the middle. The Tigres centre-forward wasted a good chance going into the area by diving and looking for the penalty, but referee Roberto García was not fooled and awarded him a yellow card instead. Fonseca and Molina were creating problems for the defense and "Kikín" shot just wide after a poor clearance by Palacios fell to him on the edge of the area.

So Tigres slowly gained a fragile ascendancy towrds the end of the first half, but neither goalkeeper had been seriously troubled throughout the half, and Castro and Sancho had marshalled their troops well.

The second half was a slightly more open affair, with Dante López seeing more action and Marino adding impetus to the Tigres attack. Nevertheless there were still few chances, and Pumas had still not managed to get close to the by-line to put in a dangerous cross, Morales often being forced back inside. Cabrera replaced "El Zurdo" Morales on the hour to look for more success in this area. Meanwhile Toledo had been livelier down the right, forcing ex-Cruz Azul veteran "El Conejo" Pérez into a couple of timely interventions.

The normally dependable Darío Verón almost cost Pumas the first goal when he sent a disastrously short back pass towards Bernal. It was latched onto by Blas Pérez, but as Bernal came out he pushed it past the Pumas 'keeper and Verón had time to race back and atone for his error by clearing.

In a curious incident towards the end of normal time Tigres were awarded a debatable free-kick right on the edge of the area as Verón was deemed to have deliberately handled the ball, despite looking to be pulling his hand away. We have had some controversial, and frankly bad, handball decisions in the Mexican League this year, and maybe it is time FIFA looked to clarify the laws in this repect. Nevertheless the decision was enough to send "El Tuca" Ferretti apoplectic in eye-poppingly deranged manner, and Roberto García finally felt obliged to give the Pumas manager his marching orders.

Nevertheless the game looked as though it was heading for a goalless draw as the teams entered stoppage time. Then a poor headed clearance fell at the feet of Palencia, who had come on for the ineffectual Cacho, and he battled to the by-line before pulling back neatly into the path of Castro, who swept the ball past Pérez from the edge of the box. It was slightly unfair on Tigres, who then gallantly pushed forward to look for the equaliser, but with almost the last kick of the game it was Pumas who doubled their lead. Dante López got to the line on the left, beating his man, and teeing up Palencia inside the penalty area for the second, to send Pumas to the top of the table.

Goals
Israel Castro (90 minutes) 0-1
Juan Francisco Palencia (93) 0-2

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Morales, Verón, red: Ferretti
Tigres: yellow: Blas Pérez

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - has to take some credit for Pumas having the best defensive record in the league.
Juárez 5 - had a lot of trouble with Kikín - this year has been a learning experience
Palacios 6 - solid but a couple of poor clearances
Verón 6 - excellent other than the chance he handed to Pérez on a plate, but redeemed himself
Velarde 6 - no anxieties in defence, but could not get any depth down the left wing
Diego 6 - a solid effort but needs more composure in distribution
Castro 8 - tidy and effective, and a nice goal
Toledo 7 - a generous seven, but the most likely of the midfielders to get in a telling cross
Morales 5 - a disappointing game. Athough well-marshalled he seemed too happy to tuck back inside
Cacho 5 - too static giving the inexperienced Diego little target
López 7 - a quiet first half, but dynamic and a handful in the second half
Cabrera 6 - looked sprightly down the left hand side
Palencia 7 - influential in both goals and looks to be getting better
Espinoza 6 - settled the midfield nicely in the last 20 minutes

Tuca 6 - a well-organised team, but what happened at the handball incident?

Elsewhere in Mexico
Itamar Baptista grabbed two as Jaguares overcame Indios 2-1 in Chiapas. América, who started with an all-Mexican eleven, owed their 2-1 victory in San Luis against the leaders to a late Enrique Esqueda goal. Pachuca crushed Chivas 5-2 in the Estadio Hidalgo and piled more pressure on manager Efraín Flores. Gabriel Caballero scored two for the home side. Atlas achived their first victory in six games overcoming Puebla 2-0 in Guadalajara. Cruz Azul drew one-all with Atlante in Cancún, the goals coming from Lozano (Cruz Azul) and Maldonado.

Ten-man Tecos got a 2-2 draw in Morelia despite Andrés Mendoza's brace for the Monarcas. A tight match in the Bombonera saw Toluca and Monterrey draw 0-0, while Santos and Necaxa managed a goal apiece in Torreón in the late Sunday game.

On Wednesday Mexico struggled to a 2-1 win over Canada in Tuxtla. Goals came from substitute Omar Bravo (Deportivo La Coruña) and captain Rafael Marquez (Barcelona). Victory virtually assures the "Tri" of a place in the six nation play-off for the 3 and a half World Cup places.

Pumas Morelos went down 1-0 in Mérida.

Next Up
Pumas play San Francisco of Panama in the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday. On Wednesday Santos take on Municipal of Guatemala, and Cruz Azul travel to Honduras to face Marathon. On Thursday Atlante host Olimpia, also of Honduras, in the same competition.

On Thursday Chivas host the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana preliminary tie against Aragua.

CONCACAF CL: Pumas 3 - 0 Harbour View

Video here.

Pumas duly qualified for the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League with an unconvincing but unsurprising 3-0 victory at home to Jamaican team Harbour View. Hero and villain was "Paco" Palencia, returning for his first game for a month after an injury sustained in the opening game against Necaxa. After making a mess of a penalty in the first half, he redeemed himself with two second-half goals and a nice pass to Chiapas for the other.

The Pumas line-up was restricted by international fixtures (Darío Verón and Dante López were on duty for Paraguay against Argentina) and injuries (Leandro and Iñiguez, although presumably had he not been injured Leandro would have been in the Mexico squad to face Jamaica). Harbour View also had two players absent because of the Mexico fixture. Alex Diego, David Toledo, Carlos Humberto González and Juan Francisco Palencia stepped in.

Pumas began the game with complete domination of possession, and the Jamaicans, when they had a rare sight of the ball, were immediately put under pressure by Castro who dominated the centre. In the event Harbour View almost immediately fell right back with 8 outfield players behind the ball and Pumas pushed the ball around patiently looking for an opening. The Pumas attack did not look as threatening as last weekend, but there were one or two half chances and shots from distance before Morales burst through the middle and was brought down by a dangerous high foot from goalkeeper Dwayne Miller. The referee had little option but to send Miller off and award a penalty as the ball had struck a post and been cleared.

Curiously, after Cacho had taken such a good penalty on Sunday, and Palencia had been out for weeks, it was the latter who stepped up for the kick. Not unpredictably the ball sailed over the bar against a poor reserve keeper Barret who had come on for Wooley.

Puams continued to push forward against ten men, but only created another couple of opportunities before half time, Palencia making a mess of a Toledo cross, and Morales going close from the edge of the area. Nevertheless the Jamaicans will be happy to have gone in level at the break, particularly considering their lack of possession or ambition.

In the second half the story was the same, despite Luis Rosas coming on for Alex Diego and Jehu Chiapas replacing Morales. Pumas overused the short corner (presumably worried about the height of the Jamaican defenders) but the final delivery was often poor, and as the game went on the away side seemed to grow in confidence, if not in attacking ideas. Luis Rosas put a header over the bar, while Cacho hit the bar with a header from a Toledo cross.

Just as it looked as through it was going to be an awkward last twenty minutes for the home side, Palencia finally made amends for his earler miss. A nice Chiapas cross was completely missed by "Paco" but the rebound fell nicely and he poked it past Barret to give Pumas a 1-0 lead. Curiously this brought about Harbour View's most prductive and aggressive spell of the game, although this did not bring about a meaningful goal attempt.

It was a strange decision to bring on Fernando Espinoza for the more attacking Toledo, but it seemed to work, as the Jamaicans tired, and Pumas grabbed a couple more right at the end to add a flattering note to the scoreline. First Cacho and then Palencia worked a simple chance for Chiapas who tucked it away with 3 or 4 minutes left, and then with almost the last kick of the game Palencia hit a nice shot in from the edge of the box after a pass from Rosas.

Not a great performance from Pumas, but a necessary win, which sees them progress into the group stages where they will face Houston Dynamo (USA), Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) and San Francisco (Panama).

More about CONCACAF Champions League & World Cup Quals

Goals
Juan Francisco Palencia (65 minutes) 1-0
Jeho Chiapas (88) 2-0
Palencia 3-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: González, Rosas
Harbour View: red: Miller

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - really, really had nothing to do
Juárez 7 - comfortable and put in a couple of nice crosses
González 6 - solid performance but silly booking
Palacios 6 - unchallenged in defence but could have done better with a header from a corner
Velarde 6 - still not the player he was this time a year ago but lively nevertheless
Castro 8 - never allowed the Jamaican midfield to settle - the best player on the field
Diego 6 - not overtaxed in midfield but lacked dynamism going forward
Toledo 7 - some lively moments and a couple of good crosses but should be challenging for a regular place
Morales 7 - a handful for the Jamaican team. Was he taken off as a precaution after the penalty incident?
Cacho 6 - a little less effective than last game but service was sporadic and he was swamped by numbers of defenders
Palencia 6 - dreadful penalty miss and some very poor moments, but two good finishes and a nice pass for Chiapas
Rosas 6 - did ok down the right and with Iñiguez out looks to have a chance to make an impression
Chiapas 7 - has been unlucky not to have more opportunities - took his goal well and put in a couple of decent crosses
Espinoza 6 - a tad generous maybe as he was only on a few minutes but looked the part.

Tuca 6 - had a very limited strategy for overcoming very limited opponents

Elsewhere in Mexico


Mexico staged their second World Cup Qualifier, this time against Jamaica, in the Estadio Azteca. The game had been due to be playedi n Jamaica but due to Hurricane Gustav the venue was changed. Luis Pérez took Leandro's spot while the attack was led by the two Premiership youngsters Giovanni Dos Santos of Tottenham, and Carlos Vela of Arsenal.

The team and the supporters were all dressed in white (see photo) as a protest against crime and particularly against kidnapping; the son of leading sports retailer Martí wwas found dead after a ransom had been paid recently, and sparked off a wave of outrage round the country.

In the end it was quite a comfortable victory for the home side, although neither of the forwards got on the scoresheet. Midfielders Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña) and Fernando Arce (Santos) scored in the first half, while a nice second half effort by defender Johnny Magallon (Chivas) completed the 3-0 scoreline.

Cruz Azul completed their passage to the group stages with another thrashing of Hanook Verdes in the Estadio Las Flores. Their 6-0 win included two from Vigneri.

Pumas Morelos drew 1-1 at home to Cruz Azul Hidalgo. The goal came from Javier Cortés. They are now 2nd in group 3 and 5th overall in Primera A.

Next Up
Pumas play their next league game away at resurgent Tigres. Meanwhile Mexico continue the World Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday in Tuxtla Gutierrez (Chiapas, Mexico) against Canada. Pumas Morelos take on group 3 leaders Mérida in the Yucatán.

Game 7: Pumas 3 - 0 Atlas

Video here.

Pumas put together their most convincing performance of the season so far in CU on Sunday, and maintained their hundred percent record at home in this tournament, while moving to the top of group 2. Juan Carlos Cacho was the star, his confidence obviously enhanced by last week's goal, and he grabbed his first top-flight hatrick, while Atlas will be thankful that at least their next game is against Puebla.

Pumas welcomed back "Pikolín" Palacios to the centre of defence in place of González, but otherwise were unchanged, while Atlas left out Diego Colotto whose agents are in negotiations with Deportivo La Coruña.

The game started slowly with neither side impressing early on but Pumas started to get some joy down the right hand side and Iñiguez began to look dangerous while Castro and Juárez worked industriously to feed him and Dante López made some interesting runs. Atlas meanwhile showed little attacking intent and were finding possession hard to come by. The first chances then fell to Pumas, Iñiguez pulling wide after good work by López, then Cacho going closer from the edge of the box. On the half hour Dante López fed a good ball through to Iñiguez who lashed the ball past Bava, only to see it rebound off the post, while "el Chispa" Velarde was unable to direct his header on the rebound.

After his excellent work down the right, it was a shame to see Iñiguez forced to leave the field through injury, to be replaced by Luis Rosas who has had some good games for Pumas Morelos recently. Almost immediately Pumas had the lead: Hugo Ayala mistimed his lunge on Darío Verón inside the area and Cacho expertly converted the spot kick to make it 1-0. At this point it was a fair reflection of the play, and Atlas made little headway looking to equalise before half time, and if anything Dante López could have grabbed another but Bava closed the angle nicely.

Coming out in the second half Pumas remained positive, and it was especially encouraging to see Morales take up where Iñiguez had left off, with Cacho and López finally building an understanding. It was no surprise then when Pumas extended their lead, but the manner of it was nevertheless impressive: Morales sent a long ball left towards Cacho, and after watching it bounce drove a right-foot volley towards the far corner of the net which Bava although getting a touch, could only palm into the net.

While Pumas seemed happy with the lead, and Atlas were unable to do much about it, the game looked as though it might stagnate. But with fifteen minutes to go a beautiful move down the left by Dante López created space, and his cross was met by Cacho in front of goal for his hatrick. At 3-0 there was nowhere to go for Atlas as they opened up in vain against a solid Pumas defence, and although a couple of goalward efforts were fielded by Bernal, there were few alarms for the home side. There was even time for Leandro to some off for a precautionary rest as Alex Diego made an appearance towrds the end.

Pumas now have four straight home wins and a good foothold in the tournament. The forward line, which has been stuttering so far, this time looked the part, and the defense reamins solid. Meanwhile Atlas, who started the tournament so promisingly after thrashing Jaguares, now need to rethink their season.

Goals
Juan Carlos Cacho (pen) (40 minutes) 1-0
Juan Carlos Cacho (65) 2-0
Juan Carlos Cacho (75) 3-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Morales
Atlas: yellow: Valdez, Ayala

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - not much to do but always in the right place when needed
Velarde 6 - really not challenged much, and helped out in attack
Verón 7 - another cool performance
Palacios 6 - adds an extra dimension of pace to the backline and is good in the air
Juárez 6 - a better performance this week under less pressure
Leandro 7- at times looked a class apart, but his inflluence was not really needed against a poor Atlas attack
Castro 7 - instigated a lot down the right side in the first half
Iñiguez 7 - lively first half, pity about the injury
Morales 8 - took over where Iñiguez left off and a constant thorn in the side for Atlas
López 8 - possibly his best game for Pumas - movement and threat, and seems to know where Cacho is now
Cacho 9 - well taken goals and a much improved performance
Rosas 6 - a good performance and deserves to be given more outings
Diego, Cabrera - on for a short time

Tuca 8 - has to take credit for a dynamic Pumas front line and a solid formation. Pumas have had an excellent start at home.

Elsewhere in Mexico
This week there were two games in the league for most clubs. An Edgar Lugo goal was unable to save Cruz Azul from a 2-1 defeat at San Luis in midweek, but despite Rodallega's 6th goal of the tounament they were able to bounce back and beat Necaxa 2-1 with Zeballos and Rivero the scorers. Toluca's poor run continued as they handed a first win to Chivas, 1-0 courtesy of a Dueñas own goal, and they were only able to snatch a 2-2 draw in Guadalajara against 9-man Tecos. Chivas meanwhile managed a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Monarcas, for whom a Romero won-goal had gifted Indios a 1-0 victory in Morelia earlier in the week. Indios continued the good work with a late Malagueño winner in a 2-1 home win aganst Pachuca.

Santos managed a 2-0 win at home to Tecos, thanks to a Benítez brace, but also suffered a 2-0 reverse in Monterrey. This capped a good week for Monterrey after a Suazo goal had given them a 1-0 victory in Aguascalientes against Necaxa. Atlante managed a 1-0 win against San Luis and a 1-0 defeat at Tigres, who also beat América in the Azteca 3-1, with Lucas Lobos grabbing two. After going down 2-0 in Pachuca, Puebla ended up sharing the points with Jaguares 1-1 thanks to a late Eder Pacheco equaliser.

Atlante (12 points) top group 1 from Santos and Monterrey (both 11). Pumas and Cruz Azul (both 13) lead group 2 from Tecos (11), and San Luis are ahead in group 3 (16) from Tigres (13).

Cruz Azul hammered Hanook Verdes of Belize 6-0 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League qualifier.

Next Up
Pumas play Harbour View on Thursday night in the Concacaf Champions League preliminary raound. Mexico take on Jamaica on Saturday in the World Cup qualifying tournament.