MIAMI, Florida – The four participants in the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League from Liga MX were all in action over the weekend, with Club Leon and Tigres among the big winners.

Last Thursday Club Leon traveled to Queretaro and came away with an impressive 3-0 win to improve 11th place in the standings and a 2W-1D-2L record.

Victor Davila’s header in the 16’ got things going for Club Leon, and soon the lead was doubled to 2-0 in the 34’ when Angel Mena converted a penalty after a Queretaro handball in the area.

Club Leon kept their foot on the gas and were richly rewarded for it in the 78’ when a deflection fell perfectly for Yairo Moreno to fire into net to round out the 3-0 scoreline.

Saturday night in Monterrey saw Tigres double up Pumas, 4-2, in an exciting encounter highlighted by a brace from 2020 SCCL Golden Ball winner Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Nicolas Ibanez gave Tigres an early 1-0 lead in the 12’ with a great, stabbing finish off a cross from the left. But four minutes later in the 16’ the scoreboard read 1-1 when Gustavo del Prete of Pumas pounced on a defensive miscue and curled a left-footed shot into net.

Tigres regained the lead, 2-1, in the 24’ when a deep cross came off the foot of Pumas DF Ricardo Galindo and caromed into net. The hosts then took a 3-1 advantage into halftime thanks to Gignac’s penalty conversion in the 44’ after a foul in the Pumas area.

2022 SCCL Top Scorer Juan Dinneno brought Pumas back to within one at 3-2 in the 65’ with a fantastic turn and right-footed shot that beat Tigres GK Nahuel Guzman.

However, the moment of the night would belong to Gignac, as the Frenchman hammered in a right-footed volley in the 90’ to send the home fans into a frenzy and seal the 4-2 Tigres triumph, which lifts them to second in the Liga MX table with a 4W-2D-0L record.

Also in action on Saturday were Pachuca, who faced off against Chivas at home. A Victor Guzman right-footed finish in the 27’ handed the visitors from Guadalajara a 1-0 edge, but the Tuzos would fight back to collect a 1-1 draw thanks to Roberto de la Rosa’s right-footed effort to polish off a picture-perfect counterattack.

Pachuca are now third in the table with a 4W-1D-1L mark.

Atlas suffered their first defeat to the season on Thursday night in a 2-0 final at home versus Monterrey. Rogelio Funes Mori’s opener in the 60’, followed by an Arturo Gonzalez score in the 63’ earned the Rayados the three points.

Atlas are 12th in the Liga MX standings with a record of 1W-4D-1L.