Outsiders shock favourites in Mexico

Unfancied Queretaro upset Guadalajara 2-1 in the first leg of their Mexican championship quarter-final on Saturday.

Second-favourites Cruz Azul, down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes, also lost 2-1 away at Morelia where the home side came back from a goal down with two in eight minutes from striker Rafael Marquez Lugo.

Former Uruguay striker Carlos Bueno scored in the ninth and 70th minutes as Queretaro caused a sensation in their first appearance in the eight-team knockout phase of the championship, though the Chivas pulled one back through substitute Jorge Enriquez in added time.

Queretaro, eighth in the league phase of the Apertura, first of two championships in the Mexican season, were the lowest qualifiers and paired with top-placed Guadalajara.

The second leg is next Saturday at Chivas’ stadium in Guadalajara city.

Bueno put the White Cockerels ahead when he took a pass from central midfield and hit a left-footed shot inside the top right corner of Hugo Hernandez’s goal.

The 31-year-old struck again with 20 minutes to go when he beat defender Jonny Magallon to a cross from Emilio Lopez and steered it past Hernandez, playing in the absence of suspended Mexico goalkeeper Luis Ernesto Michel.

Michel received a three-match suspension for hitting defender Javier Munoz during Guadalajara’s match at Pachuca on Nov. 5. He will only be available again in the second leg of the semi-finals if his side get through.

Munoz, who retaliated, was suspended for one match and will miss the first leg of Pachuca’s quarter-final at home to Tigres UANL on Sunday. Santos Laguna visit Chiapas also on Sunday.

Enriquez gave Guadalajara a potentially crucial away goal two minutes into added time when he headed home midfielder Alberto Medina’s cross.

At Morelia, Javier Orozco put Cruz Azul ahead when he slotted home the rebound after the home side’s goalkeeper Federico Vilar could only parry a stinging low shot from the right.

Cruz Azul had defender Fausto Pinto sent off in the 69th minute for dissent and it was downhill from then as their goalkeeper Jesus Corona, who had kept them in the game with a string of good saves, was beaten twice by Marquez.

The striker headed over Corona in the 77th minute from Miguel Sabah’s lobbed pass and raced through to beat the goalkeeper at close quarters for his second in the 85th.