Brazilian forward Danilinho scored one goal and made the other as UANL Tigres won 2-0 at home against Cruz Azul in round six of the Mexican Clausura tournament Saturday.
Danilinho's right-wing run and pass gave Hector Mancilla a simple finish to open for Tigres in the 69th and the Brazilian added the second himself in the 90th to put Tigres atop the general table ahead of other results.
Elsewhere Saturday, Monterrey cruised past 10-man Chiapas with Humberto Suazo scoring three in a 4-1 away win, while Toluca crushed Queretaro 5-0. Pachuca won 1-0 against Puebla, Santos had a 2-1 win at Atlas, and Atlante drew 0-0 with San Luis.
Fixtures continue Sunday with Morelia vs. UAG Estudiantes and UNAM Pumas vs. Guadalajara.
On Friday, Necaxa had a 1-0 victory over America.
The Mexican league season is split into two halves called the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. In each tournament, the 18 teams are divided into three groups and play each other once. Based on their group position and performance in the general table, the clubs qualify for playoffs to decide the eventual champion.
After six fixtures in the current Clausura tournament, Tigres leads Group 1 with 13 points, three ahead of Santos. Toluca and San Luis head Group 2 with 12 points each, while Pumas tops Group 3 with 11, ahead of Cruz Azul by a point.
In Monterrey, Tigres winger Danilinho broke into the box from his right wing position and pulled the ball back for Mancilla to steer into the net against Cruz Azul.
Danilinho scored the second after receiving a Lucas Lobos pass in the box and shooting across goalkeeper Jesus Corona to seal the points just before the final whistle.
Tigres' cross-city rival Monterrey traveled to Chiapas and had little problem dispatching a Jaguars team missing several key players including goalscorer Jackson Martinez.
Suazo opened the scoring after bursting through the middle and lifting a chip over goalkeeper Gerardo Ruiz and the Chilean striker added a second from the penalty spot in the 31st following a foul on Aldo De Nigris.
Between the goals, Chiapas lost Oscar Razo to a red card for a high challenge on Osvaldo Martinez, but Christian Valdez closed the deficit, cutting inside his marker to make it 2-1 in the 36th.
Suazo completed his treble with a header from substitute Abraham Carreno's center in the 79th and De Nigris confirmed the rout, finishing into the roof of the net from close range in the 82nd.
Meanwhile, Antonio Naelson put Toluca on the way to a 5-0 thrashing of Queretaro with a 28th-minute strike. Toluca pulled away after the break, with Osvaldo Gonzalez scoring in the 50th, followed by an own goal from Efrain Cortes in the 53rd and strikes from Jaime Ayovi in the 64th and Nestor Calderon in the 89th.
Also Saturday, Paul Aguilar scored the only goal in the 69th minute as Pachuca squeezed past Puebla 1-0 at home, while San Luis shared a scoreless draw with Atlante.
First-half goals from Fernando Arce and Juan Rodriguez gave Santos a 2-1 win at Atlas despite a red card for Felipe Baloy just after the break. Wilman Conde pulled a goal back, but the 10 men of Santos held on for victory.
