Tigres sinks Necaxa further and Puebla comes back against Tijuana
Juan Brunetta scored a hat trick trick in the first half to lead the Tigres' comeback, who won 5-3 on Friday over Necaxa and moved closer to direct qualification to the playoffs of the Liga MX Apertura tournament.
Brunetta showed off his powerful ball-striking skills with shots that found the net in the 24th, 36th, and 45+5 minutes. Ángel Correa, in the 63rd, and Diego Lainez, in the 88th, completed the rout.
Diber Cambindo put Necaxa on the scoreboard with a pair of goals in the 18th and 45+1 minutes. Ricardo Monreal brought the visitors back close in the 72nd minute.
The victory places Tigres in third place provisionally with 26 points, 13 above the playoff zone and six more than the last team with a direct spot in the playoffs.
Necaxa continues its free fall. It suffered its fourth consecutive defeat, leaving it in 17th place with nine points.
Brunetta celebrated his first hat trick since arriving in Mexican soccer to play for Santos in the 2022 Apertura tournament. He already has 27 goals with Tigres and reached 46 in Liga MX. With this performance, he reached five goals this season.
Cambindo opened the scoring after receiving a through ball, heading into the box and finishing with a low shot.
The feline reaction came after a superb combination by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Gignac, who backheeled Correa. The Argentine then passed the ball to Brunetta, who rattled the net.
Argentine midfielder Brunetta scored again with a shot from behind the goal that goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain was unable to clear.
Colombian striker Cambindo briefly tied the score at 2-2 with another foray into the box, firing a shot past Nahuel Guzmán.
Brunetta's hat trick came after Ozziel Herrera handed him the ball inside the box, allowing him to fire a powerful shot high into the net.
Correa, who reached five goals for Tigres in the tournament, provided more excitement with his goal, as did Monreal. Lainez sealed the rout with a diving header.
Brunetta had a chance to score a fourth goal with another shot from inside the box in the second half, but Unsain managed to deflect the powerful shot, which then crashed against the crossbar.
Carlos Baltazar scored a brace in the final stretch to give Puebla its second win of the season after coming from behind to beat Tijuana 4-3.
Baltazar scored his goals in the 83rd and 90+5 minutes, while Ricardo Marín (67) and Álvaro Burgos (69) scored the first goals for the La Franja team.
Kevin Castañeda also scored twice in the 52nd and 59th minutes (from a penalty) to give Tijuana its first lead, which they squandered. Mourad El Ghezouani (70) regained the lead, which the Xolos also squandered.
With the setback, the border team provisionally remained in sixth place with 20 points and could fall to ninth if Pachuca, Ciudad Juárez, and Chivas all win their matches.
Puebla remains at the bottom of the standings with eight points. However, they have a chance to fight for a spot in the playoffs with four matches remaining.
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