[MEXICO] Cruz Azul downed Atlante, 3-1, on Wednesday in the first leg of their Apertura 2008 semifinal series. In the other semifinal series, defending champ Santos, with New Mexico product Edgar Castillo, hosts Toluca on Thursday (Azetca America, live, 8 pm ET).
Host Cruz Azul opened the scoring with a seventh-minute penalty by Miguel Sabah and increased its lead with a 23rd minute strike by Edgar Lugo before Luis Rey equalized in the 32nd.
Cruz Azul, which finished one point behind Atlante in the regular-season overall standings, made it 3-1 thanks to Jaime Lozano.
Cruz Azul fell to Santos in last season’s final.