Mexico

Santos Laguna Open New Stadium With Friendly Win

Before a high-profile group of dignitaries, Santos Laguna beat Santos of Brazil 2-1 in a friendly that officially opened the doors to the new Territorio Santos Modelo.

Nov 12, 2009 2:14:15 AM

More On : Santos, Santos Laguna

It wasn't for anything more than pride but Santos Laguna officially opened their new stadium on Wednesday.

While their friendly against Santos of Brazil was nothing but a friendly, los Guerreros opened its new stadium with a 2-1 victory over the Brazilian side.

The club's new Territiro Santos Modelo opened to a star-studded audience that included a pre-match concert by Ricky Martin as well as soccer legend Pele.

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In the battle of Santos, it was the Mexicans who held the lead for the majority of the game. The first-ever goal scored in the stadium was for Vicente Matias Vuoso, perhaps fittingly as he has been a star for Santos Laguna for several years. Vuoso scored in the seventh minute when he rifled in a shot from the left side of the goal.

Santos of Brazil leveled the match minutes before the end as Yea, who had recently entered the match, scored in the 88th minute.

Three minutes into stoppage time, though, Carlos Ochoa gave the lead back to the hosts as Ochoa drilled in a shot from the left.

Santos will close out the regular season with the first-ever league match at their new stadium, called TSM for short. America will visit Santos in what will likely be a glitzy matchup.

Other notable figures on hand included Mexico manager Javier Aguirre, CONCACAF chief Jack Warner and Mexico President Felipe Calderon.