Alan Pulido gets late winner as Chivas beat Cruz Azul 3-2

Alan Pulido got fast redemption from his penalty miss on Wednesday as he scored the late winner from the penalty spot as Chivas beat Cruz Azul 3-2. An emotional and impressive game that had Chivas be the better team, but Cruz Azul never let up and had some of the best chances of the game, although a mistake in the final minutes cost them the game and the season. Chivas will now have a good boost as they prepare for Wednesday's Copa MX final against Queretaro.

The game started with a surprise as Cruz Azul would score in the first minute of the game when Joao Rojas found Richard Ruiz wide open to send a rocket of a shot past Rodolfo Cota.

Still, Chivas took possession of the game and a nice combination play ended with Angel Zaldivar getting the leveler.

The rest of the half had Chivas take control of most of the play but Cruz Azul had great opportunities to counter including the best chance of the half. A clash of Chivas players left Cruz Azul with a 2 on 1 play that Joao Rojas failed to convert by hitting the post.

The second half had an early goal, this time by Chivas, when Marco Bueno deflected a shot into Cruz Azul's goal.

Chivas continued to control the game, but against the run of play, Jorge Benitez did a great individual play and tied the game.

As the game looked like it was headed for a draw, Cruz Azul made two incredible mistakes within minutes of each other. A Cruz Azul player looked like he handled the ball but the ref called it unintentional, only for the play to continue and have Francisco "Maza" Rodriguez handle the ensuing shot. The ref determine this handball as intentional and the ensuing penalty kick was converted by Alan Pulido.

On Wednesday, Pulido had missed the fifth penalty kick on the shootout against America in the Copa MX semifinal but America missed the following penalty kick to give Chivas the victory.

The win puts Chivas in fourth place and would right now face America in the Liguilla, although it's still too early to call it. They will have a tough game next week against Leon, but all the attention will be on the Copa MX final against Queretaro on Wednesday. Cruz Azul is all but eliminated with this defeat and will face current champion Pachuca at home.