Tecos draw Jaguares to stay alive

finishing Rodrigo Ruiz's corner kick midway through the second half.

It was a bittersweet result for UAG, which missed a penalty kick and saw Mendivil score immediately after for Jaguares. Tecos will head into Tuesday's clash without Droguett and defender Marcelo Alatorre, both suspended after receiving their second yellow cards of the tournament.

Droguett was sent off after picking up another yellow card in second-half stoppage time.

The Chilean midfielder nearly struck at the game's start, hitting the crossbar from 22 yards in the third minute, but Jaguares quickly answered with back-to-back-to-back chances. UAG goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona made diving saves on Manrique in the sixth minute and Ulises Mendivil in the seventh, then Javier Campora nodded Alejandro Corona's corner kick just past the far post in the eighth.

Tecos had two more chances to strike first -- Hernan Nicolas Encina slipped past two defenders into the Jaguares box, then grazed the right post with a spinning shot in the 13th minute; and Emanuel Villa nodded Droguett's cross past the left post a minute later.

Jaguares took charge on Hernandez's goal in the 17th minute, a brilliant chip from the left wing just wide of the box into the far-post netting. He finished from a feed by Jose de Jesus Gutierrez, who battled two defenders at the byline before cutting the ball back.

The goal was Hernandez's second of the tournament, and he and Droguett trail only Necaxa's Kleber Boas and Club America's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who have three goals, on the scoring chart.

Campora nearly doubled the lead in the 29th minute, but Corona swatted away his shot, and Jaguares goalkeeper Omar Ortiz dived to halt Droguett two minutes later and Encina a minute after that.

Droguett finally found the net with a terrific maneuver in the 42nd minute to tie the score. He again teamed with Rafael Medina, who fed his goal in the 1-1 draw with America in a Group B opener Thursday in Houston.

From the left wing, Droguett played the ball to Medina, made a square run to pick up the return pass, then cut into the box, breaking past three defenders and firing inside the right post as Melvin Brown attempted to slide the ball from his feet.

Seconds later, Droguett had another chance after running onto a poor back pass, but Ortiz made a point-blank stop and swallowed up the loose ball.

Jaguares surged ahead again seven minutes into the second half. It started with a penalty kick, awarded to Tecos by referee Jair Marrufo, who bought Droguett's dive in the box and cautioned Manrique for the supposed foul.

Villa fired left on the spot kick, but Ortiz made a diving save, and his punt started a counterattack that quickly paid off.

Corona, on the right wing at the edge of the Tecos box, slid to control the ball and get past Droguett, then nutmegged Juan Huerta to move into open space. He lobbed a shot, but Corona got a piece of it. Mendivil, under pressure from Alatorre at the far post, headed the ball home.

Jaguares again tested Corona in the 64th minute, but the keeper leapt to stop Alejandro Corona's shot after a run from midfield, then went down to halt Mendivil at the left post. Villa retrieved the ball on the left wing and dribbled up the byline but couldn't get a shot - and was denied a penalty kick - as Tecos defenders pulled him from the ball by his shirt.

Tecos, pushing forward following Pablo Metlich's arrival in place of Huerta a minute later, pulled even in the 67th, Leano nodding Rodrigo Ruiz's corner kick from the left wing inside the far post.

Both teams continued to find paths into each other's boxes, but the defenses allowed no clear chances, and the rivals shared the points.

Scott French is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of tournament organizers or clubs.

01.07.2007: Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
Attendance/ Asistencia: 14,376

UAG TECOS - JAGUARES 2:2
JAG: 34- Juan Hernández 17'; 9-Ulises Mendivil 52'
TEC: 16-Hugo Droguett 42'; 27-Juan Leaño 63'

UAG: 1- Jesús de Corona, 2- Jose Huerta (13-Pablo Metlich 65'), 3-Diego Colotto, 27-Juan Leaño, 34-Marcelo Alatorre, 10-Hernan Encina, 15-Rafael Medina( 9-Eduardo Lllingston 74'), 16-Hugo Droguett, 39-Eder Urieta, 8-Rodrigo Ruiz, 20-Emanuel Villa.

DNP: 12-Jose Garay, 29-Diego Jiménez, 6-Nelson Pinto, 47-Emerson O. Lomeli, 37-Jonathan Borja.

TD: Dario Franco

JAG: 12-Omar Ortiz, 2-Christian Armas (6-Walter M. Fretes 46'), 13-Melvin Brown, 14-Heriberto R. Morales, 15-Felipe Ayala, 17-Alejandro Corona, 20-Jorge Manrique, 27-Jose de Jesús Gutierrez, 8-Javier Campora, 9-Ulises Mendivil( 10-Santiago Salcedo 75'), 34-Juan Hernandez (11-Alejandro Vela 46').

DNP: 1- Esdras Rangel, 25-Edoardo Isella, 44-Cesar Saldivar, 21-Miguel Gomez.

TD: Eduardo de la Torre

Cingular Man of the Match: Ulises Mendivil (Jaguares)

Booked:
TEC -16- Hugo Droguett 56', 39- Eder Urieta 57', 27- Juan Leaño 65', 34- Marcelo Alatorre 87'
JAG - 34- Juan Hernández 17', 20- Jorge Manrique 51'

Sent off:
TEC - 16- Hugo Droguett 90+