Cruz Azul -4-Saprissa-0-F

[Frank Cunha]

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CONCACAF Champions League
Cruz Azul snaps winless skid with 4:0 victory over Saprissa in Champions League™



Pablo Zeballos celebrates his goal in the 60th minute of Cruz Azul's 4:0 victory over Saprissa
Photos courtesy of femexfut.org.mx
9/23/2008 - MEXICO CITY – Miguel Sabah scored his second goal of the CONCACAF Champions League™ in the 24th minute and Gerado Torrado added his second goal in four days, helping Cruz Azul snap a three-game winless streak with a 4:0 victory over Deportivo Saprissa Tuesday night.

Sabah, who scored 11 goals last year in the Mexican Apertura and another seven in the Clausura earlier this year, has yet to score in seven games in this year’s Apertura. He settled a long ball from the right and chested it into the area, where he put a right-footed shot low inside the right post.

After scoring in the third minute of injury time on Saturday to give Cruz Azul a 1:1 draw with Santos Laguna in the Mexican league, Torrado doubled the advantage with an impressive individual effort. Working his way to the byline, Torrado cut the ball back with his right foot, and curled a left-footed from near the edge of the goal box just inside the far post.

Pablo Zeballos and Cristian Riveros added second-half goals for Cruz Azul as the Mexicans eventually overwhelmed the Costa Rican side.

The result pulled Cruz Azul, which lost its Champions League group opener to CD Marathon 2:0 in Honduras last week, into a three-way tie for the Group A lead with Saprissa and Marathon with three points apiece. D.C. United has no points heading into its match with Marathon on Wednesday.

It was the second loss in three days for Saprissa, which was beaten 3:1 by San Carlos on Sunday in the Costa Rica league. The seven goals in two games was two more than Saprissa had permitted in seven previous games this season, six in the Costa Rican league and last week’s Champions League™ victory over D.C. United.

Saprissa mounted some offensive possession late in the first half, but was largely limited to shots from distance. It's best chance came with three minutes remaining when Alexander Robinson was able to get a header from a corner kick at the six-yard box, but Cruz Azul keeper Alfonso Blanco thwarted it with a reaction save.

Cruz Azul's victory was its first a 6:0 win over Hankook Verdes of Belize in the Preliminary Round on 3 September, aided by a Sabah goal. The Azulinos travel to the United States next week to face D.C. United while Saprissa will host its first home game against Marathon.