Before they even hit the field against Santos Laguna at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday night, Pachuca CF knew all they had to do was get a draw to advance into the SuperLiga 2008 semifinals.
The Tuzos' bid to continue their drive toward a second consecutive SuperLiga crown got a nice jump start when Damian Alvarez put them ahead 1-0 in the fourth minute with a scintillating strike. But Santos made them sweat a bit when Christian Benitez scored the first goal of the tournament for the Guerreros in the 71st to tie it at 1-1.
But Pachuca held out the remainder of the way for a the 1-1 result and reached the final four, where they will have a rematch with the Houston Dynamo of MLS next Tuesday.
After Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution earlier in the evening, it made Pachuca's job that much easier. Alvarez's goal from about 20 yards out was a thing of beauty, and immediately settled any nerves.
The Pachuca midfielder was a step or two outside of the Santos penalty area before he ripped an absolute screamer with his right foot that flew over Warriors goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez and into the far side of the net for the early lead.
After the Pachuca goal, Santos started to come into the match. In the 15th minute, Santos midfielder Edgar Castillo got a nice look at goal from the left side and hit a well-struck shot, but a Pachuca defender got in the way to deflect it.
In the 23rd minute, Juan Pablo Rodriguez put one on frame but it was right at Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero.
Alvarez nearly put the game away in the 32nd minute. After receiving a great ball inside the Santos box, the Tuzos midfielder hit a blast right at Sanchez. His shot went between the 'keeper's legs before bouncing up and hitting the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Pachuca's Christian Gimenez created a nice chance for himself from just outside the 18. He hit another good ball in Sanchez's direction but the Santos 'keeper was up to the challenge once again, playing it perfectly to make the save.
Vicente Vuoso had two good chances to pull level before the break. In the 36th minute, Vuoso got a shot off from the left flank, but it was right at Calero and he made an easy stop in front of goal. Vuoso had a similar opportunity in the 39th minute, but once again, Calero was there to deny his bid for the equalizer.
Not even a minute later, Pachuca stormed down the field and Gimenez received a great pass to the left of goal. He then dribbled a few steps but with Sanchez advancing on him to cut down his shooting angle and a pair of Santos defenders closing in quick fashion, his shot hit the Santos 'keeper.
Rodriguez came closest to pulling the Guerreros level about a minute into first-half stoppage time. From a free kick, about 40 yards from goal, Rodriguez looked to have tied the game, but the ball hit the crossbar.
Santos head coach Daniel Guzman made two changes at the break, both of which were in the back. He brought on Juan Santiago for Rafael Figueroa and Walter Jimenez entered for Osmar Mares.
In the 52nd, Gimenez had another chance at making it 2-0 for the Tuzos but saw his effort sail to the right of Sanchez and the Santos goal.
Castillo showed perfect touch for Santos in the 59th minute on a great cross from the right flank. His ball found Jimenez near the far post, but his header hit Calero squarely in the right leg.
Santos had another chance in the 67th when Benitez worked free on the left flank. As he was driving toward goal, Calero came out and forced the Warriors striker to hit the lower portion of the post, which sent the ball over the endline.
After the extended possession and chances, Santos finally pulled level. Midfielder Fernando Arce got a nice ball on the right side of the box and spotted his teammate open right at the edge of the six-yard box. Benitez then knocked it into the back of the net to set up a tense final 19 minutes.
Just four minutes after drawing the match level, Santos continued their offensive. Vuoso smacked a scorching volley from just inside the 18, but it missed the goal by less than six inches.
Pachuca soaked up all the pressure Santos could throw over the final minutes, and moved on to a semifinal rematch with Houston on July 29 at Robertson Stadium, a rematch of a SuperLiga 2007 semifinal that saw Pachuca advance over the Dynamo on penalty kicks. Santos, the defending Primera Division champions, finished their first SuperLiga winless.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
