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MONTERREY, Mexico - Alan Pulido scored three goals - two in the second half - to pace Tigres UANL over Alajuelense 5-0 on Wednesday and send it to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Tigres became the third Mexican team to clinch a berth in the knockout round, joining defending champion Monterrey and Santos. U.S. and Mexican clubs have claimed six of the eight berths in the quarterfinals. Herediano of Costa Rica earned its berth on Tuesday with one between Chivas of Mexico and Xelaju of Guatemala to be decided on Thursday.
Pulido's performance eclipsed his two goals scored in 11 games this season - mostly as a substitute -- in the Mexican league. Elias Hernandez and Juninho also had goals for Tigres, who climbed atop Group 6 with eight points, one more than Alajuelense.
Tigres dominated from the start and took the lead in the sixth minute when Hernandez volleyed Damian Alvarez's cross-field pass, striking the ball out of the air with his left foot inside the right post from 10 meters.
The Mexican side doubled the advantage in the 25th when Carlos Salcido headed Hernandez's cross into the goal box, and Juninho poked in the bounding ball from inside the six.
Pulido scored his first in the 34th, running down the middle of the area onto a square ball from Alvarez and rolling a low shot inside the left post.
He added a second less than 30 seconds after the start of the second half by pouncing on the rebound after Alajuelense keeper Patrick Pemberton had blocked Alvarez's initial shot, and and he completed the scoring in the 59th, running on to Hernandez's ball at the top of penalty area, touching around Alajuelense defender Jhonny Acosta and finishing with a deft chip over Pemberton.
The result was the second 5-0 win for Tigres in four days after it beat Pumas on Saturday. The two lopsided victories come after Tigres had lost three straight, gone winless in its previous six and had scored only two goals in four games.
The loss was only the second for Alajuelense -- the Costa Rican Apertura leader -- in its last eight Champions League games.
