Mexico

Cruz Azul Equalize Late, Tie Puebla In Eight-Goal Thriller

Jaime Lozano scored twice in the second half to give Cruz Azul a 4-4 tie at Puebla.

Nov 21, 2009 11:05:45 PM

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Jaime Lozano - Cruz Azul (Mexsport)

Teams

Puebla and Cruz Azul abandoned their defenses on Saturday as the clubs opened their quarterfinal series with a dramatic and entertaining 4-4 draw at Estadio Cuauhtemoc.

Puebla looked to have been in control of the game when Jared Borgetti scored Puebla's fourth goal, in first-half stoppage time to give Puebla a 4-2 lead. But Cruz Azul fought back and leveled terms with less than 10 minutes to spare.

Cruz Azul will head into the decisive leg the following weekend with a slight advantage, needing a draw to get through to the semifinals.

First Half

Seats were barely warm when Puebla opened the scoring. In the first minute of action, Nicolas Olivera ripped a shot past Jose de Jesus Corona to give Puebla a quick lead.

Cruz Azul found the equalizer in the 13th minute when Jaime Lozano crossed the ball to the center of the penalty area. Puebla's Jorge Villalpando mistimed his run off his line and left an open goal for Melvin Brown to shoot into, and Brown took advantage to equalize.

Cruz Azul took the lead nine minutes later when Lozano found Gerardo Torrado outside the box. Torrado ripped a shot on goal and beat Villalpando to give the visitores the lead.

Things didn't last long that way, however. Alejandro Acosta buried a header after a cross from Felipe Ayala to pull Puebla even in the 30th minute.

Three minutes later, former Cruz Azul forward Nicolas Vigneri scored on his former club. Vigneri pushed a ball across the goal line after Olivera flicked a header on inside the box as the ball fell to Vigneri, who had no problems leveling terms.

Just before the break, Puebla took what seemed to have been a commanding lead into the intermission. On a corner kick, Borgetti rose and slammed a trademark header into the back of the net. Manger Jose Luis "Chelis" Sanchez Sola pumped his arms in the air as the team celebrated a goal that appeared to have given Puebla a comfortable lead.

Second Half

Puebla helped Cruz Azul get back into the game just five minutes into the second half. Borgetti slid and tried to knock the ball away from Lozano inside Puebla's penalty area, but made contact with his former international teammate.

However, Borgetti appeared not to have made much contact with Lozano, who appeared to have let himself fall once the two came close to one another. Lozano stepped up and took the spot kick himself and buried his elft-footed shot into the back of the net as Villalpando dived the wrong way.

In the 82nd minute, Lozano wound up bringing Cruz Azul all the way back, and his goal was not exactly disputed. On a set piece on the left side, Rogelio Chavez crossed into the box. Lozano jumped and flicked a header into the back of the net.

The match did not end without incident, however. While no more goals were scored, Roberto Juarez picked up a red card for Puebla, as he kicked Corona in second-half stoppage time.

Goal.com

For more coverage of the Mexican Primera Division, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.

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