Mexico City : Tigres and Cruz Azul each picked up victories to stay level on 21 points at the top of Mexico's Apertura standings, with five matches to play.Tigres defeated Pumas 4-1 and Cruz Azul won 2-0 against Puebla. Both teams have 21 points, but Tigres top the standings with a better goal difference.
Santos defeated Queretaro 3-1 and are in third with 20 points, with Pachuca also on 20 points after defeating Jaguares 1-0.In other matches this weekend, Chivas drew 0-0 withe Toluca, Atlas drew Tijuana 2-2, Monterrey beat Estudiantes Tecos 3-2, Atlante drew 1-1 with San Luis, and America and Morelia drew 1-1.
Argentine Lucas Lobos opened the scoring for Tigres, striking a free kick into the top corner in the 18th minute. Juninho, Hector Mancilla and Manuel Viniegra added the other three in the space of 12 minutes.Pumas went down to 10 men in the 52nd when Luis Fuentes received a second yellow card, but Eduardo Herrera pulled a goal back in the 82nd.
Striker Javier Orozco got Cruz Azul's two goals after coming on as a substitute in the 72nd.Santos scored twice in the first 10 minutes against Queretaro through Colombian striker Darwin Quintero and Oribe Peralta. Michel Vazquez pulled one back for Queretaro with a penalty in the 25th, but Carlos Morales sealed the victory for Santos with a freekick from 25 meters (yards).
Elias Hernandez cut in from the left and scored with a right-footed shot in the 17th minute in the deciding goal for Pachuca against Jaguares. Jaguares Oscar Razo was sent off in the 72nd.
Chivas improved to 19 points after its goalless draw with Toluca. Chivas demoted coach Jose Luis Real after last weekend's loss against Queretaro and brought in former Mexico international Fernando Quirarte to replace him.Atlas rescued a point with an injury-time penalty from Flavio Santo against fellow relegation strugglers Tijuana.
Ricardo Jimenez headed Atlas into the lead in the 49th before going down to 10 men when Hugo Rodriguez was sent off 12 minutes later. Tijuana then scored twice through Jose Sand and Mauro Gerk. Tijuana's Fernando Arce received a second yellow in the 87th and, with both teams down to 10 men, Santo equalized for Atlas.
Neri Cardozo and Abraham Carreno got the first half goals for Monterrey, with Jesus Corona getting the third in the second half. Estudiantes Tecos pulled a goal back from Elgabry Rangel in the 68th, and U.S. international Herculez Gomez scored on a diving header with the last touch of the game.Othoniel Arce put San Luis up just after halftime, but Atlante equalized through a Ezequiel Cuevas freekick from a tight angle in the 82nd.AP
