Gonzalez goal for Tigres leads to 1-1 draw with Monterrey
By APThursday, January 7, 2010
Monterrey, Tigres play to draw
HOUSTON — The Tigres’ Jose Gonzalez scored in the 53rd minute and Monterrey’s Jose Maria Basanta tallied in the 91st minute as Monterrey and Tigres finished in a 1-1 draw Wednesday night in InterLiga Group B play.
The draw gives Puebla, who defeated Jaguares 1-0 earlier in the night, first place in Group B with a 2-0-0 record and six points. Monterrey is in second place with two points and an 0-0-2 record and needs to beat Puebla on Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., to move on to the InterLiga finals next Wednesday in Carson.
Tigres and Jaguares both are 0-1-1 with a point in Group B and meet Sunday in Carson.
Gonzalez gave Tigres the lead in the 53rd minute after kicking a clearing header out of mid air with his right leg and hitting a one-timer into the upper-right net from the upper box.
The lead held until the 91st minute when Basanta chested a pass from Juan Carlos Medina on the left box and hit a shot into the right net for the tie.
In the early game, Nicolas Olivera scored in the 67th minute and Puebla held on to clinch a spot in one of the two InterLiga finals with a 1-0 win over Jaguares at Robertson Stadium.
Puebla improved to 2-0-0 with six points in Group B with one game remaining against Monterrey on Sunday in Carson, Calif.
Puebla can finish no worse than second in Group B assuring them a spot in one of the two finals next Wednesday. Jaguares dropped to 0-1-1 with a point after the loss with a game remaining against Tigres UANL Sunday in Carson.
Carlos Ruiz outmuscled his defender on the left side and sent a cross into the middle of the box where Olivera headed it in from the penalty spot in the 67th minute.
Jaguares outshot Puebla 12-11, with all 12 of Puebla’s shots coming in the second half, but for a second straight game Jaguares couldn’t find the back of the net.
Jaguares had multiple chances to even the score in the final minutes, but Puebla goalkeeper Jorge Villalpando, who made eight saves, stopped three shots by Antonio Salazar and two by Danilo Veron to give Puebla the win.
