Pumas took advantage of a weaker Queretaro and got a 4-1 home victory. Pumas was the better team although the score flattered them, as the game was always close up until the final minutes. Queretaro actually took the advantage against the run of play and had some dangerous opportunities throughout, showing that Pumas defense still has problems. Yet Pumas always had the ball and were able to draw and take the lead early in the 2nd half.
Pumas started the match controlling the game and even forced Queretaro's goalkeeper, Tiago Volpi, to make a great save from a Matias Britos header. But against the run of play, Neri Cardozo open the scoring for Queretaro.
A couple of minutes later, Pablo Barrera continued his comeback with Pumas and tied the game off a good header.
The second half started with an early Pumas goal off a mistake by Queretaro. Queretaro’s defense gifted a throw in and then gifted the ball again before the ball fell for Javier Cortes. Cortes shot was deflected terribly into a goal by the Queretaro defense.
The game was 2-1 for the majority of the second half with Pumas having the ball but Queretaro always threatening sporadically. Finally, three minutes before the end, Abraham Gonzalez got a great pass and scored the 3-1. Then in the final minutes, Josecarlos Van Rankin got a great combination play with Britos and scored the 4-1. It was a great thing for Van Rankin, who has gotten a lot of criticism for Pumas fans in recent years, but it left a bad taste for fans when Dario Veron got mad for not getting the ball for the wide open goal. This even after he had seen that the ball had gone in and his teammates were celebrating.
This victory is very important for Pumas and for Palencia. The team was able to get three points at home against a team they were against and it silences fears after a bad outing in Tijuana. For Palencia it means a solid win against one of the best coaches in Mexico (Victor Manuel Vucetich). Next week Pumas will face a key road test as they go to Torreon to face battered Santos. Queretaro will be at home and face another struggling team in Monterrey.