Santos Laguna top host Puebla 1-0 in Mexican football

Puebla (Mexico), March 17: 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.