TORREÓN (Interstat) — Santos Laguna beat UNAM Pumas 2-0 on Wednesday at Estadio Corona, capitalizing on an early red card and getting goals from Franco Pardo and Eduardo Aguirre to stay unbeaten in the competition. UNAM Pumas lost Nathan Silva to a red card in the second minute, leaving the visitors to play almost the entire match with 10 men. Santos Laguna could not turn the advantage into an immediate breakthrough, but the home side eventually made the extra man count and protected its lead through the second half. The result moved Santos Laguna to 4 wins and no losses in the competition and across all competitions. UNAM Pumas fell to 2 wins, 6 losses and 4 draws in the competition and across all competitions.

Pardo and Aguirre supplied the decisive contributions for Santos Laguna. Pardo scored while completing 90 minutes, and Aguirre scored during an 82-minute appearance. Aguirre was replaced in the 82nd minute, one of several changes made by Santos Laguna as it managed the closing stages. Santos Laguna also used substitutions in the 21st minute with Orona E., in the 46th with Gonzalez D., and in the 73rd with Villalba F. and Jimenez T. UNAM Pumas made changes in the 50th minute with Carrasquilla A., in the 77th with Lopez R., and in the 86th with Bennevendo P. and Juninho. The goals gave Santos Laguna enough separation after UNAM Pumas had been reduced to 10 men so early.

Discipline shaped the match from the opening minutes. After Nathan Silva’s second-minute red card for UNAM Pumas, the yellow cards arrived in a steady sequence. Santos Laguna’s Gonzalez D. was booked in the 42nd minute, and Renato Paiva received a yellow card in the 60th. Cuevas M. of Santos Laguna was cautioned in the 66th minute, UNAM Pumas’ Morales R. was booked in the 82nd minute, and Santos Laguna’s Echeverria E. received a yellow card in the 90th minute plus six. The sending-off and cautions interrupted the flow, but Santos Laguna held its shape and kept UNAM Pumas from scoring.

The game at Estadio Corona unfolded with Santos Laguna as the home side and UNAM Pumas as the visitor. Santos Laguna protected the advantage created by its goals and denied UNAM Pumas a response. The home side’s records in the competition and across all competitions remained identical after the match, while UNAM Pumas’ competition and overall records also stayed the same. The result continued Santos Laguna’s unbeaten run and extended UNAM Pumas’ difficult stretch. Santos Laguna’s victory came after a strong recent run that included a 5-0 home win over Queretaro and a 2-1 win at Atl. San Luis, though the match itself was decided by the early red card and the finishing of Pardo and Aguirre. UNAM Pumas, meanwhile, remained at 2 wins, 6 losses and 4 draws after the match.

UNAM Pumas entered the match after a 2-1 win at Atlante and a 3-3 home draw against Cruz Azul, but the visitors were unable to carry that scoring form into the match at Estadio Corona. Earlier results this season included a 3-2 loss at Atl. San Luis, a 3-2 loss to Atletico SL, a 1-1 draw at Atlas, a 3-0 loss at Guadalajara Chivas, a 2-0 loss at Club Tijuana, a 1-1 draw with Necaxa, a 0-0 draw with Queretaro and a 2-1 win at Toluca. Santos Laguna entered after a 5-0 home win over Queretaro, a 2-1 win at Atl. San Luis and a 1-0 home win over Pachuca.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of UNAM Pumas 2, Santos Laguna 1. Interstat’s ELO system had given UNAM Pumas a 53.2 percent probability to win. Santos Laguna had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 0.25. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.75.