Pachuca thrash Union, Crew into CONCACAF Champions Cup last 8
LOS ANGELES: Salomon Rondon scored a hat-trick as Mexican side Pachuca thrashed the Philadelphia Union 6-0 to surge into the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Ater a goalless first leg in Philadelphia last week, Pachuca tore into the Major League Soccer (MLS) oufit in Tuesday’s return in Mexico.
Veteranvenezuelaninternationalstrikerrondon fired Pachuca into the lead from the penalty spot ater seven minutes and the Mexican club kept up the pressure with a dominant display.
Rondon made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time and then completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute.
A brutal mauling of Union continued with Nelson Deossa, Oussama Idrissi and Alan Bautista all geting on the scoresheet to complete a 6-0 aggregate victory.
Tuesday’s scoreline equalled the worst defeat by an MLS team against Mexican opposition in the Champions Cup, matching the 6-0 drubbing suffered by Columbus Crew against Atletico Morelia in the 2003 tournament.
Meanwhile, the Crew advanced to the last eight ater a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo secured a 2-1 aggregate victory in an all-mls tie.
Columbus, leading 1-0 from the first leg, were set on the way to victory ater Cucho Hernandez fired them into a 40th-minute lead.
The Colombian striker rifled home a low shot from just inside the penalty area to beat Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark at the near post.
Columbus controlled the game thereater and never looked like relinquishing their grip on a last eight berth until a last-gasp equaliser from Houston.
Columbus defender Steven Moreira was adjudged to have handled a cross on 88 minutes to concede a penalty, and Griffin Dorsey stepped up to drill home the spot-kick.
That let it 1-1 on the night but Houston were unable to find the second goal that would have taken them into the quarter-finals as Columbus advanced.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, another of the MLS’S representatives were given a torrid time as Orlando City exited 4-2 against Mexico’s 2020 CONCACAF Champions League winners Tigres UANL.
With the tie scoreless ater last week’s first leg in Florida, Orlando were under the cosh from the opening minutes against a rampant Tigres.
The hosts took the lead via a low Marcelo Flores shot that crept into the botom corner ater 13 minutes, and then doubled their advantage with a 20th-minute penalty from French striker Andre-pierre Gignac.