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Pachuca Rout Jalapa To Take Command Of CCL Qualifying Series
Pachuca beat Jalapa 3-0 and have one foot in the group stage following the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League qualifying series on Tuesday.
Jul 29, 2009 10:14:07 AM
Juan Carlos Cacho scored the only goal Pachuca needed to win the match, but los Tuzos knocked in a pair of goals in the second half and will head into next week's return leg in Central America with a comfortable aggregate-goal advantage.
First Half
It took some time for Pachuca to find their rhythm but once they did, Jalapa was in for a long night.
Javier Muñoz Mustafa hit the crossbar on a corner kick in the 12th minute that could have opened the flood gates earlier than they did. Ten minutes later, Carlos Gerardo Rodriguez also nearly found the back of the net but Jalapa goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez did well to make a save as he was placed in a desperate situation.
Jerez, though, nearly surprised Pachuca as they raced down the field on a quick counterattack following Jerez's stop. Osmar Flores slipped a through ball towards Gerson Lima but Pachuca 'keeper Rodolfo Cota did well to get to the ball before Lima had a chance to do damage.
Cacho nearly struck on Pachuca's next possession but slipped before he could place a header on goal. Cacho pushed his header just wide.
But Cacho did not miss his opportunity in the 42nd minute. A long ball came from the back and Damian Manso ran towards the ball, on the left side of the box. Jerez had charged off his line to try and beat Manso to the ball, but Manso got there first. He sent a pass over towards Cacho, moments before Jerez flattened Manso. Cacho had an open net in front of him and knocked the ball into an empty net.
For Cacho, the goal was his second in as many games. He scored Pachuca's first goal of the Apertura 2009 season, in a 3-2 win over Estudiantes Tecos on Friday.
Second Half
At halftime, Pachuca manager Guillermo Rivarola took out Juan Carlos Rojas and replaced him with Edgar Benitez, and Benitez made his mark on the game some 10 minutes later. In the 57th minute, Benitez whipped a cross in from the left side of the box and Gabriel Caballero ran onto it and slammed a header past Jerez.
Pachuca, though, were not done. Christian Gimenez set up a free kick on the left side of the penalty area. From 20 yards out, Gimenez sent the free kick towards the far post and it sailed into the goal past Jerez.
Gimenez nearly made it a four-goal rout but hit the post on a 25-yard free kick in the 88th minute.
Pachuca need only to win, draw or avoid a multi-goal loss in Guatemala to reach the group stage of the tournament. Los Tuzos would advance into Group A, along with Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer and El Salvador side Isidro Metapan.
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