Cruz Azul Take Group 3 Lead With Win Over Pachuca

Cruz Azul recaptured first place in the Group 3 table and could clinch the group title and a spot in the playoffs as early as this weekend as Cruz Azul beat Pachuca 3-1 on Wednesday.

Coupled with Santos' 2-1 loss to Monterrey, Cruz Azul now lead Group 3 with 27 points to Santos' 26. Atlante trail with 22 points.

The match was Enrique Meza's first game back to Estadio Hidalgo since leaving over the summer for Cruz Azul.

Jaime Lozano got the scoring started on a corner kick, but instead of serving up a set piece, he knocked in the goal. Just five minutes in, Alejandro Castro knocked a corner kick into the box and Lozano got underneath it. He hit a header on goal and the ball sailed over Miguel Calero's head and into the back of Pachuca's goal.

Javier Orozco gave Cruz Azul a 2-0 lead just nine minutes later when he combined with Jaime Lozano for a strange goal. Lozano raced into Pachuca's third on a counterattack and sent Orozco on with a through ball. Orozco darted into the penalty area and Calero met him about 15 yards out. Calero and Orozco each slid and somehow the ball bounced off a sliding Orozco, past Calero and over the goal line for Cruz Azul's second goal.

Emanuel Villa scored his team's third goal nine minutes into the second half. Villa hit a 27 yard free kick on goal but the ball hit the wall. It squirted out into the box to Melvin Brown, who sent a shot on goal. Calero did well to parry the ball away but the ball went out to the left side of the box. With Pachuca defenders watching the ball, Villa raced onto it and ripped a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

With 11 minutes remaining, Pachuca got a meaningless goal. Christian Gimenez sent a corner kick into the box from the right corner and Marco Ivan Perez sent a header into the back of the net.

Pachuca fell further behind in the Group 2 table with the loss. Morelia, Monterrey and Puebla all won as Pachuca fell to fifth place and are virtually out of playoff possibilities.

Goal.com

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