Leonardo Ulloa’s early goal inspired Pachuca to a 3-1 win over nine-man Cruz Azul on Saturday.
Pachuca’s early dominance was rewarded when Jose de Jesus Corona’s mistiming on a cross led to Ulloa scoring the go-ahead goal in the eighth minute.
Soon after a pair of chances from the hosts, the night went from bad to worse for Cruz Azul when José Madueña was controversially sent off for an apparent stomp on Jorge Daniel “Burrito” Hernandez.
Less than ten minutes after the sending off, Pachuca doubled their lead when a Miguel Tapias shot was deflected into the back of the net.