Pachuca Ties Saprissa in
Champions' Cup
Defending champion
Pachuca of Mexico
settled for a 1-1 tie
with Saprissa of Costa
Rica on Wednesday night
in the first leg of the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
final series at Ricardo
Saprissa stadium in
Tibás, Costa Rica.
Luis Gabriel Rey gave
the Tuzos the lead with
a 12-yard blast past
Saprissa's Keilor Navas
in the 46th minute.
But Victor Cordero took
advantage of a defensive
lapse by Pachuca in the
penalty box to punch in
the equalizer for
Saprissa from 8 yards in
the 89th minute.
The decisive leg of the
home-and-home,
aggregate-scoring series
will be played April 30
at Hidalgo Stadium.
Besides the regional
crown, both teams are
vying for a spot in
December's FIFA Club
World Cup.
As the 2007 Champions'
Cup winner, Pachuca
attended the prestigious
meet in Japan and was
quickly ousted by
Tunisian side Etoile
Sportive du Sahel 1-0;
Saprissa placed third in
2005, the best finish by
a CONCACAF team so far.
Saprissa reached the
Champions' Cup finals
after topping MLS side
the Dynamo 3-0 in the
semifinals, while the
Tuzos returned to the
title game after edging
D.C. United 3-2 in
aggregate.
|
|
