Tigres UANL win first Mexican soccer title since 1982

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Second-half goals by Hector Mancilla, Danilinho and Alan Pulido lifted Tigres UANL to a 3-1 win over Santos Laguna on Sunday, giving the Monterrery-based team its first Mexican soccer championship since 1982.

Tigres entered the second stage of the two-match Apertura final leading in aggregate goals after a 1-0 victory on the road. So when Oribe Peralta scored late in the first half to give short-handed Santos a 1-0 halftime lead, the title was suddenly up for grabs in the second 45 minutes.

Tigres tied the score less than 10 minutes after the break when Mexican national team star Jorge Torres Nilo lofted a ball into the penalty area for Mancilla, who headed it home.

Danilinho made it 2-1 at the hour mark, driving a low, hard shot on goal that Santos keeper Manuel Becerra got a hand on. But he didn’t get enough of the shot to stop it from getting past him and into the net.

Nine minutes later a challenge from Santos’ Felipe Baloy near the midfield benches sparked some pushing and shoving that result iwo red cards, forcing Santos -- which started the game with 10 players -- to finish with nine with Baloy was ejected. Tigres’ Israel Jimenez was also red-carded.

Pulido scored the final goal less 20 minutes later to put the title on ice.

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-- Kevin Baxter