Tijuana opens Clausura with a win

Tijuana opens Clausura with a win

Published Jan. 6, 2013 12:00 a.m. ET

Reigning champion Tijuana defeated Puebla 2-1 in the first round of matches of Mexico's Clausura tournament on Sunday.

Guadalajara Chivas tied 1-1 with Toluca and UNAM Pumas drew 1-1 with Atlas in Sunday's other games.

In Saturday's matches, America defeated Monterrey 2-1, UANL Tigres won 3-0 against Jaguares, Leon drew 2-2 with Queretaro, Pachuca overcame Atlante 2-0, San Luis drew 1-1 with Santos Laguna and, on Friday, Morelia and Cruz Azul finished 3-3.

Tijuana's Duvier Riascos netted with a solo effort from outside the area in the 31st minute, before Argentine Cristian Pellerano added the second from a well-worked corner ten minutes later.

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Puebla pulled one back in the 45th when Roberto Juarez pounced on a loose ball from a corner, but while Puebla pressured for the equalizing goal in the latter stages, Tijuana held firm.

Chivas equalized in the 86th, when Miguel Sabah stretched to knock the ball into the far corner. Toluca's Brazilian Lucas Silva had handed Toluca the lead two minutes earlier. Sabah was then sent off in the 90th for kicking out at a Toluca player.

Pumas took the lead when Martin Bravo struck from short range in the 36th, but Omar Bravo cut in front of a defender to equalize for Atlas ten minutes from the end.

America's Rubens Sambueza won the game by converting a penalty in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time.

Monterey's Walter Ayovi had given his team the lead in the 15th, before America's Jesus Molina equalized in the 39th.

Tigres' Emanuel Villa netted a second half hat trick to win the game against Jaguares. The Argentine opened the scoring in the 50th, adding his second in the 68th and his third four minutes from time.

Leon twice let the lead slip, with Amaury Escoto equalizing for relegation-threatened Queretaro in the 90th. Leon had taken the lead in the 25th through Edwin Hernandez, before Omar Vasquez brought the scores level. Matias Britos again put Leon ahead five minutes after halftime.

Pachuca's Hector Herrera took the ball from the halfway line on a swift counter-attack and lifted the ball delicately over goalkeeper Jorge Villapando to take the game beyond Atlante in the last minute. Abraham Carreno had headed in Pachuca's first in the 67th.

Santos Laguna's United States international Herculez Gomez beat San Luis goalkeeper Oscar Perez to the ball and headed into an unguarded net to give his team the lead in the 27th. Guillermo Rojas got the equalizer in the 66th.

In Friday's game, Rodrigo Salinas rescued a point with a penalty for Morelia in the 72nd. Jefferson Montero gave Morelia a lead in the 2nd with a tap in, before Cruz Azul's Javier Orozco scored the first of his two goals after a mistake from Morelia `keeper Federico Vilar..

Hector Mancilla put Morelia back in front from short range three minutes later, but Luis Perea leveled for Cruz Azul on halftime. Orozco chested in his second after another mistake by Vilar in the 59th.

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