Apertura Week 17: Pumas 1, Tijuana 1

Pumas’ Liguilla hopes ended with Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Tijuana at Estadio Olimpico Universitario.

UNAM (7-4-6) finished one point out of the postseason field with 25, and were ninth in the Apertura standings. The Xolos completed their Apertura debut season 15th in the standings at 3-9-5 (18 pts).

Javier Cortes gave Pumas a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, off a free kick. Juan Pablo Santiago equalized for Tijuana in the 52nd.

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Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero Denies Pumas Win in 0-0 Draw

Neither Pachuca nor Pumas could find the net in a defensive-minded affair that saw retiring Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero once again emerge as the hero in his sendoff match. The Colombian shot stopper made a number of good saves to keep Pumas off the board, while Pumas can take heart in keeping a clean sheet after conceding four goals in each of their last two games. The point earned saw both sides hold to playoff berths.

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Late Goal Denies Pumas Home Win Against Atlas

Edgar Iván Pacheco's late goal denied Pumas of a home win and nudged them out of the playoff picture for the time being.

A possible bad omen for Pumas was the injury to their starting goalkeeper, Sergio Bernal, in the 41st minute, which required the subbing in of Alejandro Palacios. Bernal's status is unknown at this point.

Pumas manager Guillermo Vázquez was determined to grab the game's three points, however, and pushed forward by substituting Juan Francisco Palencia into the game in the 46th minute.

Juan Carlos Cacho put the felines ahead with a splendid header in the 55th minute, a product of Jehu Chiapas's fine pass.

Atlas suffered a tough injury of their own, this one to starting striker Alfredo Moreno, who left the pitch in the 33rd minute. The Zorros pressed forward for most of the match, outshooting the home team ten to five, but showing little clarity in front of goal.

Or at least it seemed that way.

Pacheco appeared just six minutes from the death and scored his first goal of the season, a goal worth another point in Atlas' pile in their race to avoid relegation.

The result pushed Pumas to ninth place in the league table with 19 points. If the playoffs started today, they'd be eliminated.

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Atlas Upset Defending Champs Pumas 4-1

Defending champion Pumas continued its run of abysmal form, shipping four goals at home to lowly Atlas, which could not move off the bottom of the table despite the emphatic win. Jahir Barraza was on target twice for the visiting side, which collected a much-needed three points.

While Pumas' Martin Bravo had two good looks against Atlas goalkeeper Miguel Pinto denied early on, the visitors took a shock lead on 31 minutes through Ricardo Bocanegra after Francisco Torres found him open outside the area to finish with a powerful shot. Balance was restored five minutes later when Francisco Palencia scored with a volley as Atlas was clearing its lines from a corner kick, but the strike would only serve to postpone Atlas' onslaught until after the break.

The first blow came in the 48th minute as Barraza got in behind and held off his defender to fire past Antonio Palacios, setting the tone for the whole half. The visitors' second half surge continued 10 minutes later as Barraza found himself off to the races , taking the ball from the halfway line past a retreating Pumas defense before coolly finishing one-on-one.

Daniel Arreola made it 4-1 to Atlas with the team's third goal in 15 minutes, picking up a pass down the left from Flavio Santos and beating Palacios from well outside the area with a fierce shot that left the poorly-positioned goalkeeper with no chance. Pumas was unable to muster anything following that blow, and there are plenty of worrying signs for Guillermo Vazquez's men, who have now been outscored 8-2 in their last two games.

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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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Unam Pumas drops first points of season

Unam Pumas dropped its first points of the young Apertura season but remain top of the table after a goalless draw at Guadalajara.

With 10 points from four matches, it retains a one-point advantage over Monterrey, which left it late to beat Morelia 2-0 with Humberto Suazo scoring in the 85th minute before Dario Carreno made sure in the final minute.

Guadalajara sit third with seven points, now joined by Cruz Azul which scored either side of half-time to beat Atlante 2-1.

Emanuel Villa put it ahead in the 45th minute before Javier Orozco Penuelas doubled the advantage three minutes into the second half.

Giancarlo Maldonado got one back for the visitor in the 55th minute but it could not equalise.

CREDIT: Fox Soccer 

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UNAM Pumas survive against Morelia

Unam Pumas made it four teams with a perfect record by claiming a 1-0 win at Morelia. Luis Fuentes scored the Pumas only goal after 17 minutes and Pumas held on thereafter, even after Michelle Galindo was sent off in the 77th minute. The Pumas will face Monterrey in what should be a cruise for the streaking squad.

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Mexico City Pumas win Clausura championship!

21 year old Javier Cortes' looked like a stone-cold veteran striker with his 77th-minute goal that lifted the Mexico City club to a 2-1 triumph and to its seventh title. This is the Pumas' fourth Clausura title since 2004. Francisco Palencia also scored for the Pumas, converting a 15th-minute penalty kick after an illagal takedown by Morelia goalkeeper Federico Vilar.

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Pumas save match with late Rojas goal

Joao Rojas scored a 73-minute to rescue a 1-1 draw for Morelia in a hard-fought opening match against UNAM Pumas in the final of the Mexican Clausura tournament. The return match is scheduled for this Sunday at Puma's Olimpico Universitario stadium in Mexico City.

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Pumas to play Morelia for Mexican title

The UNAM Pumas and Morelia will play for the Mexican Clausura title after beating Chivas and Cruz Azul in the semifinals. The Pumas will be seeking their seventh title during the first leg of the final on Thursday in Morelia, followed by a return match Sunday at estadio Olimpico.

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