September 16, 2012
LIGA MX APERTURA
Match Day 8 roundup

Jaguares 2, Toluca 0
Jorge Rodriguez scored twice in the second half as Jaguares handed Toluca their first loss of the Apertura season, 2-0 Friday at Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna. By Sunday night, the setback also had cost the Diablos first place in the tournament standings.

Rodriguez ran down a long service into the box, muscled around defender Diego Novaretti and beat netminder Alfredo Talavera to the upper right corner to snap the scoreless tie in the 55th minute. Talavera mishandled a cross from Gerardo Espinoza in the 78th, leaving a rebound that Rodriguez turned into the insurance goal.

Chiapas improve to 2-1-5 and seven points. Toluca fall to 5-2-1 (17), two points behind new leaders Tijuana.

Pachuca 3, Morelia 2
Pachuca edged Morelia 3-2 Friday at Estadio Hidalgo, on a 57th-minute goal by Jose Torres.

Felix Borja staked the Tuzos to an early 2-0 lead, scoring in the 14th and 25th minute. An own goal by Leobardo Lopez, who deflected a shot by Morelia’s Carlos Adrian Morales into his own net, put Monarcas back in the game in the 35th minute, but Torres’ blast to the far post gave Pachuca enough of a cushion to take the win despite Carlos Ochoa’s late strike for Morelia.

Pachuca improve to 2-4-2 and 10 points, while seventh-place Morelia fall to 3-3-2 (12).

Chivas 2, Leon 1
Chivas de Guadalajara (2-3-3, 9) knocked Leon (4-1-3, 13 pts) down to third place on the Apertura table with Friday’s 2-1 comeback win at Estadio Nou Camp.

Chivas went down a man in the 32nd minute, when Xavier Baez was ejected, and already had lost playmaker Marco Fabian to a dislocated clavicle in the 13th minute, but managed to keep the match scoreless until the 75th minute, when defender Kristian Alvarez fouled Juan Carlos Rojas and Jose Vasquez put the Esmereldas on the board from the penalty spot. Four minutes later, Leon defender Jonny Magallon was shown a straight red card for kicking Alvarez to level the sides, and Chivas snatched the win with a pair of late goals. Jorge Garcia evened the score at 1-1 with a header in the 82nd minute, and Rafael Marquez buried the game-winner in the second minute of stoppage time.

America 2, Santos Laguna 0
Christian Benitez scored his fifth goal of the season to cap Club America’s 2-0 win over Santos Laguna at Estadio Azteca.

Raul Jimenez right-footed the game-winner past goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez in the 48th minute. Benitez doubled America’s lead with a 73rd-minute header.

The win leaves the Aguilas at 3-4-1 and 13 points, while Santos drops to 3-2-3 (11).

Tigres 2, Cruz Azul 0
Luis Garcia scored on both sides of halftime as Tigres blanked Cruz Azul 2-0 Saturday at Estadio Universitario.

Tigres had a flurry of early chances, including shots by Lucas Lobos and Damian Alvarez in the first four minutes, and a Lobos penalty kick that was stopped by netminder Jesus Corona. Garcia finally sealed the win in the 44th minute, latching onto the rebound after Corona rejected a shot by Lobos, and doubled Tigres’ lead in the 61st.

The victory leaves Tigres eighth in the standings at 3-3-2 (12 pts). The loss was La Maquina’s first of the season, and leaves them at 3-4-1 (13).

Atlas 0, Queretaro 0
Cellar-dwellers Queretaro held Atlas to a scoreless draw in a driving rain Saturday at Estadio Jalisco.

Netminder Juan Castillo came up big for Queretaro in the early going, fending off shots from Hector Mancilla and Matias Vuoso before a power outage interrupted the match in the 28th minute. When play resumed, Carlos Bueno spearheaded the Gallos’ attack, but the deteriorating weather made it difficult for either team to mount much of a threat.

It was only the second point of the season for the struggling Gallos Blancos (0-2-6). Six of the Zorros’ nine points (1-6-1) have come from draws.

San Luis 1, Pumas 0
Luis Mendoza scored the only goal San Luis needed for their first win of the season, 1-0 over Pumas Sunday at Estadio Olimpico Universitario

Pumas had the best of the early chances, with Efrain Velarde and Emanuel Villa both missing on first-half headers. Mendoza connected from the right side in the 55th minute.

The Gladiadores improve to 1-2-5 and five points, while Pumas fall to 3-1-4 (10).

Monterrey 3, Puebla 2
Puebla rallied to tie from two goals down, but Monterrey had the last word, emerging with a 3-2 win Sunday at Estadio Cuauhtemoc.

Angel Reyna clinched the win in the 75th minute, with a low shot from distance. Cesar Fabian (27th) and Aldo de Nigris (4th) gave the Rayados a 2-0 first-half lead, Fabian on a tap-in and de Nigris after splitting two defenders to get free in front of the net, but La Franja scrapped back after the intermission. Diego de Buen made it a one-goal game in the 51st minute, and Isaac Romo worked a give-and-go into the box with Damarcus Beasley before throwing things into a 2-2 deadlock in the 71st.

Monterrey are fifth in the standings at 3-4-1 and 13 points. Puebla (1-2-5, 5) are second from the bottom of the table.

Tijuana 2, Atlante 1
Tijuana scored twice in the span of one minute and surged to the top of the Apertura standings wth Sunday’s -1 win over Atlante at Estadio Andres Quintana Roo.

Duvier Riascos staked the Xolos to a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute, and Alfredo Moreno connected in the 51st. Esteban Paredes saved Atlante from the shutout in the 87th minute, with his league-leading sixth goal of the tournament.

The Xolos (6-1-1, 19 pts) have a two-point edge over Toluca at the top of the Apertura table. The Potros are ninth at 3-3-2 (12).