UANL Tigres and Santos Laguna to Meet in Apertura Final

Tigres will play Santos in the final of Mexico's Apertura tournament after both teams won their weekend semifinals.

Tigres defeated Queretaro 1-0 on Sunday, while Santos overcame last season's runner-up Morelia 3-2 on Saturday.

The first leg of the final is scheduled for Thursday, with the return leg on Sunday.

Tigres, looking for their first championship since 1982, only needed a draw to advance after a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their semifinal.

Queretaro defender Manuel Lopez gave Tigres the victory when he headed a left wing cross into his own net, under no immediate pressure, in the 44th minute.

Queretaro's Marco Jimenez was ruled to have handled the ball inside the penalty area in the 57th, but Hector Mancilla*s penalty was saved by Queretaro keeper Liborio Sanchez.

Tigres held onto the one goal lead, with Queretaro only having one shot on goal all game.

Queretaro went down to 10 men just before the final whistle when Michel Vazquez was sent off for a high challenge.

Morelia came into Saturday's game with a 2-1 lead from the first leg, but had defender Joel Huiqui sent off in the 33rd minute for hacking down Santos striker Oribe Peralta inside the penalty area as he was about to shoot.

Juan Pablo Rodriguez converted the penalty to put Santos one goal up.

Ecuadorian Christian Suarez scored the second in the 52nd, driving a shot into the roof of the net from the right hand side of the area.

Suarez added another in 64th, leaving Morelia needing three goals to advance to the final.

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Queretaro, Morelia, Tigres take leads in 2nd legs

Queretaro, Morelia and Tigres will take leads into the return legs of their quarterfinal playoffs in Mexico's Apertura championship.

In weekend matches, Queretaro won 2-1 at home against Guadalajara Chivas, Morelia rallied to win 2-1 against Cruz Azul, and Tigres defeated Pachuca 1-0. In the other first-leg quarterfinal, Jaguares drew 2-2 with Santos.

The return games are set for next weekend.

Uruguayan striker Carlos Bueno netted twice for Queretaro, opening the scoring in the 9th minute with a curling left-footed shot from outside the area. He added a second in the 69th, beating a Chivas defender to steer a cross from the leg wing inside the far post.

Queretaro, in the playoffs for the first time, appeared set for a two-goal victory but Chivas' superior possession was rewarded when Jorge Enrique scored with a looping header just before the final whistle.

Javier Orozco gave Cruz Azul the lead against Morelia, tapping in from close range in the 32nd minute. Cruz Azul went down to 10 men in the 69th when Fausto Pinto was sent off for an altercation with Morelia manager Tomas Boy. Striker Rafael Marquez equalized for Morelia with a header in the 77th and added the second goal eight minutes later.

Tigres got the only goal of the game in the 27th when Chilean Hector Mancilla headed in following a swift attack. Carlos Salcido, on loan at Tigres from Fulham, was sent off in the 62nd for a two-footed lunge, but Pachuca couldn't find an equalizer despite piling on pressure in the later stages of the game.

Santos took an early lead after Panamanian Felipe Baloy volleyed in from a corner in the 4th minute and extended their lead when Mexican international Oribe Peralta scored from close range in the 32nd.

Colombian Jackson Martinez got one back with a header in the 84th, before Franco Arizala fired the equalizer past the goalkeeper in injury time. Santos' Jose Cardenas had been sent off for an illegal tackle from behind in the 60th.

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Apertura Week 17: Tigres 1, Puebla 0

Tigres lifted themselves into the third seed in the Liguilla playoffs with a 1-0 win over Puebla Sunday at Estadio Cuauhtemoc. Jesus Duenas scored the only goal of the match, heading home Lucas Lobos’s right-side cross in the 26th minute.

Tigres close out the Apertura at 7-7-3, with 28 points. Puebla missed the playoff cut at 6-4-7, 22 pts.

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Tigres UANL Draw Even with Monterrey 0-0; Tigres Hold Position in Apertura

Both teams failed find the back of the net in the Clasico Regiomontano as neither of the fierce city rivals could break the deadlock. The result sees Tigres hold on to its spot near the top, but Monterrey now has work to do, with the preseason favorites sitting two points out of a playoff berth with three games to play.

Despite the scoreline, the game was well-fought and had a few opportunities for each team. Tigres had the upper hand for much of the game, but the home side was unable to break down Monterrey despite plenty of set pieces. Monterrey for its part caused plenty of trouble on the break, but like its rivals, could not find the finishing touch.

The biggest talking point in the game game was in the 68th minute when referee Paul Delgadillo turned away a strong penalty claim from Monterrey after an apparent foul by Hugo Ayala on Sergio Santana. The result was the second consecutive 0-0 draw between the two sides, meaning there have now been 224 minutes played between the two rivals without a goal.

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Tigres UANL Move Into Fourth Place with 3-2 win over Pachuca

A Dario Cvitanich brace in the game's first hour wasn't enough to dissuade the Tigers last Tuesday in Pachuca.

After the Argentine found the net in the 45th and 57th minutes, young Francisco Acuña made it 2-1 five minutes later off a header set up by Jorge Torres Nilo.

With just fourteen minutes remaining, a controversial call swung the game's momentum squarely in favor of the university side, as Lucas Lobos scored off a penalty kick caused by a Javier Muñoz infraction.

Pachuca coach Pablo Marini raised some eyebrows prior to that, when he took Cvitanich out in the 69th minute and replaced him with Herculez Gomez.

Referee Marco Antonio Rodriguez's decision to call that penalty kick clearly weighed on Marini's squad, as they gave up a third goal in just seventeen minutes when Damian Alvarez slotted an Itamar Batista pass into the back of the Pachuca net.

The result pushes Tigres up to fourth in the league table; they are nearly assured of a playoff berth.

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Apertura Leaders Tigres beaten 2-0 at Morelia

Apertura Leader Tigres suffered a shocking 2-0 defeat away to Morelia in the Mexican Apertura on Friday night.

The visitor had been frustrated by its inability to score and was sucker-punched late on as Miguel Sabah scored for Morelia 11 minutes from time before Jaime Lozano Espin's penalty in the 88th minute.

Tigres' defeat will allow Cruz Azul to go clear at the top of the table if it takes anything from Saturday night's clash with San Luis.

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Tigres UANL Dominate Pumas UNAM 4-1 to Take Top Spot of Apertura

Tigres walloped defending champion Pumas in a remarkably one-sided clash to move top of the table. With Pumas starting the day on top, Tigres saw the opportunity to leapfrog the capital side and took it in some style.

Pumas, without defensive lynchpin Dario Veron, started positively on its trip north, but quickly fell apart following Tigres' first goal. Lucas Lobos put the home side up on 18 minutes with a blistering free kick, and nine minutes later Juninho made it 2-0 following Pumas' inability to clear the ball after a series of shots.

The battering continued and it wasn't long before Hector Mancilla made it 3-0. The Chilean forward was left with an easy finish after a fine pass from Carlos Salcido to Danilinho drew out the goalkeeper, allowing the Brazilian to square it to Mancilla, who had the goal at his mercy.

Five minutes before the break Manuel Viniegra heaped more misery on Pumas, strolling through visiting defense and finishing. In the second half, Tigres was content to sit back on an unassailable lead and take a breather, aided by Luis Fuentes' 52nd minute expulsion for a second yellow card. Substitute Eduardo Herrera grabbed an 83rd minute consolation for Pumas with a looping header.

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Tijuana 1-1 Tigres UANL | Via Goal.com

Tijuana stunned Tigres with a late equalizer, but the 1-1 draw means the Baja California-based outfit is yet to register a win at home. The win could have put Tigres joint top, but instead they have to settle for third with a visit from new leaders Pumas on the docket next week.

Xolos desperate for a home win, looked to put Tigres on the back foot early, but both teams had chances through Jose Sand and Hector Mancilla. Tigres finally made the breakthrough four minutes before the half when Damian Alvarez found Lucas Lobos in the area, the Tigres front man finishing off a well-worked counter attack.

Despite a series of changes from Antonio Mohamed, Tijuana continued to struggle, and Cirilo Saucedo and Javier Yacuzzi both saved their team's skin as Tigres looked to finish the game off. With two minutes left, Raul Enriquez delivered a free kick right onto the head of captain Javier Gandolfi, who found himself unmarked and redirected the ball into the goal to split the points.

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Jaguares strikes late to hold Tigres

Jaguares extended its unbeaten run to eight games and held on to first place in Mexico's Apertura tournament with a 1-1 draw against Tigres this weekend.

Lucas Lobos put the Tigres ahead late with a well positioned tally in the 80th minute of play. However, Jorge Rodríguez came back and scored a clutch goal in the 89th minute to tie the match at 1-1. The match ended in a tie which allowed the streaking Jaguares to remain atop in the standings.

Jaguares have 18 points, the same as Cruz Azul and Chivas, which drew 1-1 over the weekend. However, Jaguares lead on goals scored.

Tigres have 17 points along with defending champion Pumas, which defeated Estudiantes Tecos 2-1 on Saturday.

Should be a tight race in the standings as we get closer the the end of the tournament.

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UANL Tigres Vs. Cruz Azul, 2011 Apertura: Lineups

Cruz Azul lineup: Gutierrez; Pinto, Cortes, Dominguez, Castro, Flores; Torrado, Castro; Drougett, Villaluz; Villa

UANL Tigres lineup: Palos; Torres Nilo, Rivas, Ayala, Jimenez; Alvarez, Toledo, Viniegra, Danilinho; Lobos; Mancilla

The game kicks off at 8:00 pm ET from Estadio Universitario. If you live in the USA, the game is in Telemundo

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Primera Divison opener: Cruz Azul vs. UANL Tigres July 23

Cruz Azul will begin their season on July 23, 2011 against UANL to open the Primera Division's Apertura tournament. The Blue Machine will be a tough task for UANL as the Tigres are a middle of the road team at best. However, look for UNAL's Lucas Lobos to make an impact.

Lobos started all but two matches for Tigres over the past two seasons and is the key player for Tigres front four. As the team's captain, he’s a great distributor of the ball, as well as a solid scorer. Lobos will turn 30 in August, but that shouldn't slow down his high level play.

For Cruz Azul I am looking forward to seeing the goalkeeping of José de Jesús Corona. Corona signed with Cruz Azul for 3 years. That same year he helped Cruz Azul reach the league final against CF Monterrey, finishing runners-up.

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