Santos Laguna top host Puebla 1-0 in Mexican football

Puebla (Mexico) March 17 (IANS) Argentine striker Julio Cesar Furch scored in the 79th minute to give first-placed Santos Laguna a 1-0 victory over Puebla at the Mexican football league s Clausura championship.

With the win Santos has 26 points and provisionally leads second-placed America by five points reports Efe.

Both teams had chances midway through the first half of Friday night s game at Cuauhtemoc Stadium in this central city with Puebla goalkeeper Moises Muñoz stopping a left-footed shot by Furch in the 23rd minute and Jose Daniel Guerrero threatening Santos goal two minutes later.

After a long lull the action heated up late in the second half when the visitors created a series of chances.

A shot by Uruguayan winger Brian Lozano clanked off the woodwork in the 75th minute while Argentine defender Carlos Izquierdoz nearly scored on a header three minutes later.

Finally Furch scored what proved to be the game winner when he rose up and headed the ball past Muñoz off a corner kick.

With the loss Puebla missed a chance to leapfrog Morelia into fifth place in the Liga MX s Clausura championship.

The club is currently in sixth place but could fall to as low as ninth -- and temporarily out of the playoff zone -- if Monterrey Pumas UNAM and Necaxa all win on Saturday.

--IANS
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