GUADALAJARA – Edgar Castillo won a late penalty for Atlas on Saturday, and Paraguayan Luis Cabellero converted to hand the Rojinegros a 1-0 victory over Leones Negros in Liga MX play.
Castillo worked his way into the penalty area, turned direction sharply and was caught in the face by Efrén Mendoza, causing the Las Cruces, N.M., native to fall to the ground in the 87th minute.
The left back had gifted Cabellero a golden opportunity to open the scoring three minutes earlier, when he lifted a cross from the left wing into his path, but the striker headed over.
The win means Atlas remain undefeated and still in second position in the Liga MX’s Apertura championship, two points behind Club América.
Meanwhile, Tigres UANL picked up a point at Puebla in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, with Jose Torres going 62 minutes and Herculez Gomez coming on for the last eight minutes against his former club.
Torres played on the left of midfield in his fifth consecutive start of the season, while Michael Orozco didn’t feature for Puebla due to suspension.
In the Ascenso MX, Stevie Rodriguez came on at halftime for Dorados de Sinaloa and scored five minutes later in his side’s 4-3 home win over Zacatepec.
Also Saturday, Sonny Guadarrama’s Atlante defeated Mérida 4-2, with the 27-year-old going 54 minutes.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
