September 23, 2012
LIGA MX APERTURA
Match Day 9 roundup

Puebla 1, Leon 1
Leon could not hold on to an early lead, settling for a 1-1 draw with Puebla Friday at Estadio Cuauhtemoc.

Sebastian Maz opened the scoring with a header in the 27th minute. Shortly after, Matias Abelairas entered the match for Puebla starter Efrain Dimayauga, and in the 66th minute he leveled the score. DaMarcus Beasley forced a turnover in Puebla’s end and brought the ball three-quarters of the way downfield before centering the ball to Abelairas for the equalizer.

Leon improve to 4-2-3 and 14 points, while La Franja end Week 9 at 1-3-5 (6).

Morelia 1, Tigres 1
Miguel Sabah scored in the 72nd minute to lift Morelia into a 1-1 tie with Tigres Friday at Estadio Morelos.

After a scoreless first half in which both teams struggled to create quality chances, Lucas Lobos helped Tigres put their stamp on the match. He hit the post in the 51st minute, sent a shot just wide in the 57th, and finally converted a penalty kick in the 65th minute to open up a 1-0 lead.

Sabah equalized off a loose ball in the box.

The draw leaves the two teams tied at 3-4-2 and 13 points.

Cruz Azul 1, America 1
Club America and Cruz Azul remain neck-and-neck in the standings after Saturday’s 1-1 tie at Estadio Azul.

Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jose Corona fended off two point blank shots by Christian Benitez in the 15th minute, but his luck ran out in the 18th, with the league scoring leader gave America a 1-0 advantage.

Alejandro Vela was poised to level the score in the 22nd minute, but missed the mark with a wide-open header. Javier Aquino finally equalized for La Maquina in the second minute of the second half.

Both teams sport 3-5-1 records with 14 points.

MONTERREY 3, QUERETARO 2
Last-place Queretaro made a game of it, but remain winless after Monterrey rallied to a 3-2 victory Saturday at Estadio Tecnologico.

Carlos Bueno stunned the Rayados with a goal in the 13th minute, giving the Gallos Blancos a 1-0 lead that lasted through halftime. Neri Cardozo equalized for Monterrey with a volley in the 49th, and Abraham Carreno gave the Rayados their first lead of the match in the 68th, heading home a pinpoint cross from Manuel Corona.

Queretaro responded quickly, however, throwing the match into a 2-2 deadlock with a goal by Diego Guastavino in the 70th.

Angel Reyna saved the day for the Rayados in the 81st minute, after the Queretaro defense failed to clear a left-side corner kick.

Monterrey improved to 4-4-1 and 16 points, while the Gallos fall to 0-2-7 (2).

Santos Laguna 0, Jaguares 0
Santos Laguna could do no better than a scoreless draw with 16th-place Jaguares Saturday at Estadio TSM Corona.

Santos Laguna dominated the first half, but came no closer than Gerardo Lugo’s shot off the left post in the 16th minute. Jaguares looked stronger after the break, but their best chances, late shots by Marcelo Rodriguez and Luis Gabriel Rey, were off the mark.

The result gives Jaguares (2-3-5) their eighth point of the tournament. Santos Laguna have 12 points from nine games (3-3-3).

San Luis 1, Pachuca 0
Jaime Correa scored the only goal San Luis needed to nip Pachuca 1-0 Saturday and secure their first home victory of the season at Estadio Alfonso Lastras Ramirez.

Correa connected in the 38th minute from the edge of the penalty area.

Felix Borja had a golden opportunity to put the Tuzos on the board in the 19th minute, but cracked his shot off the bar. San Luis had the best looks of the second half, but Raul Tamuda threatened to equalize for Pachuca in the 86th. Goalkeeper Oscar Perez was there to make the save and assure that San Luis snapped their 13-game home winless streak.

The Gladiadores improve to 2-3-5 and nine points, one point less than Pachuca (2-4-3).

Tijuana 1, Atlas 1
Tijuana dropped to second on the Apertura table after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Atlas at Estadio Caliente and Toluca’s 1-0 win over Atlante on Sunday.

The Xolos needed a 75th-minute equalizer by Duvier Riascos after Hector Mancilla gave the Zorros a 1-0 advantage in the 29th. Riascos also sent the game’s first shot caroming off the crossbar, and Raul Enriquez hit the woodwork with a late free kick that would have given the win to Tijuana.

Tijuana ends the week with 20 points (6-2-1), double the earnings of 11th-place Atlas (1-7-1, 10).

Chivas 0, Pumas 0
Chivas and Pumas played to a scoreless raw Sunday at Estadio Omnilife.

The game did not lack for attacking chances, but finishing was poor on both sides. Jorge Enriquez hit the post for Chivas in the 25th minute, and Martin Bravo missed the mark twice for Pumas in the first 45 minutes.

It was more of the same in the second half. Enriquez forced UNAM netminder Alejandro Palacios into a spectacular late save, and Luis Perez had a golden chance to deliver the win to Chivas with a stoppage time penalty kick, but hit the post.

Pumas are 11th in the standings at 3-2-4 (11 pts), two places ahead of Chivas (2-4-3, 10).

TOLUCA 1, ATLANTE 0
Luis Tejada scored in the 82nd minute to give Toluca a 1-0 win over Atlante and first place in the Apertura standings Sunday at Estadio Nemesio Diez.

Tejada, who was making his debut for the Diablos Rojos, came off the bench for Juan Carlos Cacho in the 58th minute and, with eight minutes left on the clock, chested down a pass from Lucas Silva and volleyed the deciding shot into the net.

Toluca are tied with Tijuana at 6-2-1 and 20 points, but top the standings on goal differential. The Potros are ninth at 3-3-3 and 12 points.