July 22, 2012
LIGA MX APERTURA
Match Day 1 roundup

Tigres 4, Jaguares 0
Tigres scored four goals in the first 39 minutes, then cruised to a 4-0 win over Jaguares Friday at Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna.

Alan Pulido opened the scoring in the sixth minute, and Juninho doubled Tigres’ lead in the 19th. Lucas Lobos (35) and Manuel Viniegra (39) rounded out the scoring.

Tijuana 2, Puebla 0
Fernando Arce buried a free kick in the 11th minute to start Tijuana on their way to a 2-0 win over Puebla in both teams’ Apertura opener Friday at Estadio Caliente.

Pablo Aguilar added an insurance goal in the 69th minute, heading the ball past goalkeeper Alexandro Alvarez off a corner kick.

Cruz Azul 0, Morelia 0
Cruz Azul and Morelia opened their Liga MX season with a scoreless draw Saturday at sold-out Estadio Azul.

New arrival Hugo “Tanque” Pavone had two solid chances to lift La Maquina to a victory, but missed just wide of the right post in the closing seconds of the first half, and was thwarted by the combined efforts of defender Enrique Perez and goalkeeper Federico Vilar n the 57th.

Leon 2, Queretaro 0
Hernan Burbano converted a third-minute penalty kick to start Leon on the road to their first Liga MX win, 2-0 over Queretaro Saturday at Estadio La Corregidora.

Burbano’s was the only goal of the match until stoppage time, when Edwin Hernandez added an insurance tally for the Esmereldas, who were promoted after last season for only the second top-tier season in club history.

A foul by Queretaro defender Alfonso Rippa sent Burbano to the spot. Hernandez’s goal came on a late counterattack, as the Gallos Blancos pushed for an equalizer.

Queretaro had a man advantage for 52 minutes, after Leon’s Ignacio Gonzalez received a straight red card for a violent tackle on Arturo Echevarria three minutes before halftime, and had two golden chances to knot the score. Alberto Garcia’s second-half shot was saved off the line by defender Jonny Magallon, and Leon goalkeeper Edgar Hernandez saved an 82nd-minute penalty kick by Carlos Bueno. An 89th-minute red card to midfielder Marco Jimenez left the sides level at ten men.

Monterrey 0, America 0
Monterrey played Club America to a 0-0 draw in Saturday’s Liga MX Apertura opener at Estadio Morelos.

Monterrey netminder Jonathan Orozco was called into action early, one-handing away Daniel Montenegro’s free kick in the second minute. Former Aguila Humberto Suazo was particularly dangerous against his former team, hitting the crossbar in the 39th minute and forcing an acrobatic save from netminder Hugo Gonzales in the closing minutes of the first half. Both teams kept pressing, but were unable to convert a shot through the final 45 minutes.

Santos Laguna 2, San Luis 1
Herculez Gomez scored in the 71st minute to lift reigning champions Santos Laguna over San Luis 2-1 Saturday at Estadio TSM Corona.

The Gladiadores set Santos on their heels early, taking the lead on a first-minute goal by Emilio Lopez. The Guerreros recovered quickly, however, leveling the score in the third with Darwin Quintero’s first goal of the tournament, off the rebound after netminder Oscar Perez rejected Aaron Galindo’s header. Gomez sealed the win with a hard shot off an assist by Juan Pablo Rodriguez.

Atlas 1, Pumas 1
Pumas scored both goals on their way to a 1-1 draw with Atlas Saturday at Estadio Jalisco.

Martin Bravo staked UNAM to a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, hammering a shot past netminder Miguel Pinto, but Pumas defender Martin Palacios gave the point back, misplaying an Atlas corner kick into his own net with five minutes left on the clock.

Toluca 2, Chivas 1
Carlos Esquivel scored in the second minute, and Toluca went on to defeat Chivas de Guadalajara 2-1 Sunday at Estadio Nemesio Diez.

Juan Carlos Cacho’s 31st-minute goal, off a through ball from Lucas Silva, sealed the win. Rafael Marquez saved the herd from an Apertura-opening shutout with a 67th-minute goal.

Atlante 0, Pachuca 0
The much-anticipated coaching showdown between former El Tri coaches and longtime bitter rivals Ricardo La Volpe and Hugo Sanchez ended in a scoreless draw between Atlante and Pachuca Sunday at Estadio Andres Quintana Roo.

Sanchez’s Pachuca seized the early momentum, with Raul Tamudo forcing an early save by Potros ‘keeper Jorge Villalpando, and using his head to redirect Nestor Calderon’s scissored shot just over the bar. Atlante responded with a dangerous free kick by Oswaldo Martinez that was blocked off the post by netminder Rodolfo Cota.