Morelia downs Jaguares 5-2 to lead Group 2

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 Peruvian striker Andres Mendoza scored three goals, including two in six minutes, as Morelia rallied to beat Jaguares 5-2 on Sunday and take the Group 2 lead in the Mexican Apertura.

Mendoza opened the scoring for the home side with a penalty in the 12th minute, before Adolfo Bautista converted penalties in the 32nd and 43rd to give Chiapas the lead.

Mendoza, 30, sparked a Morelia rally with two quick strikes in the 60th and 66th minutes and Fernando Salazar and Elias Hernandez sealed the win with goals in the 81st and 86th minutes respectively.

Morelia has 24 points in Group 2, ahead of Chivas with 22 and Tecos with 21. Pumas and Cruz Azul have 20 each and America is last with 18.

"The team showed courage, we needed the win, the game was complicated, but the team rallied, showed great spirit to manage the win,'' Morelia defender Mauricio Romero said.

Mendoza, in his first season in Mexico, has 10 goals to equal Toluca's Chilean striker Hector Mancilla for the Apertura lead.

Mancilla also recorded his 10th goal on Sunday in the Red Devils' 4-0 win over Atlas, but it was midfielder Israel Lopez who shined with strikes in the third and 18th minutes of his 500th game in the Mexican league.

"It is a very special moment, I hope we can have more (games),'' Lopez said.

"This was a hard fought match, but in the end the crowd gets to go home very happy. My goals are for them.''

Antonio Naelson also scored in the 48th minute for Toluca, which has 21 points and remains third in Group 3.

Atlas stayed on 18 points, and will have to win their final two matches of the regular season and wait on combinations to try to qualify for the postseason.

In other scores it was: Tecos 1, America 3; Monterrey 2, Atlante 1; Cruz Azul 1, Pachuca 2; Cd. Juarez 1, Puebla 0; Chivas 1, Pumas 1; Necaxa 1, San Luis 1 and Santos 1, Tigres