Santos Laguna and Tigres take dominant leads over MLS opponents in CCL

The Mexican sides both look well in control of their quarterfinal ties following dominant first-leg road wins over MLS outfits

Santos Laguna took a commanding 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of thier Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal clash on Tuesday.

Playing at home, the MLS side couldn't match the Liga MX club, with poor finishing from New York proving costly as Santos showed a clinical edge in front of goal either side of halftime to take control of the tie.

The visitors opened the scoring just before the break with a clever bit of play near the top of the New York box.

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Brian Lozano slipped a ball into the feet of Julio Furch, who in turn picked out Diego Valdes.

With another option streaking down his right, Valdes used the space to fire off a shot that left New York goalkeeper Luis Robles stranded and handed the Mexican club a 1-0 lead.

The second for Santos came just two minutes after the re-start.

Furch was the man to finish the move, but it was Javier Correa 's clever touch in the box that split the Red Bulls' defense and made it little more than a tap-in for the striker.

Bradley Wright-Phillips had multiple chances throughout the night, including one in the final minute of regular time, but Santos Laguna goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco was outstanding throughout to preserve the clean sheet for his side.

The other match of the night Liga MX power Tigres also take a dominant position against the Houston Dynamo with a 2-0 win in Houston.

Tigres broke the deadlock 78 minutes in through Enner Valencia following a quick counterattack, the Ecuadorian tapping home on the doorstep from a Luis Quinones .

Valencia then turned provider, setting up Julian Quinones two minutes later with a ball over the top to seal the win.

Houston had no response for the late onslaught and will now face the daunting task of trip to face Tigres at El Volcan needing to overturn a two-goal deficit.

The return legs for both matches will take place next Tuesday, with the MLS sides needing something of a miracle for either of them to earn a spot in the CCL semifinals.

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