Caribbean Sports Network

RODRIGO RUIZ scored an 83rd minute winner as Santos Laguna edged San Juan Jabloteh 1-0 in the first leg of their 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round clash at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya on Tuesday night. The 38-year-old Ruiz, the oldest player on the field, netted the deserved winner for the Mexican team, into the open net, after Jabloteh goalkeeper Cleon John came out of his line to prevent an attempt from Oribe Peralta, who calmly slipped the ball to his right for Ruiz to hit home, inside the six-yard box.

Ruiz, from Chile, was the only non-Mexican player in the travelling party, but with top players – strikers Christian Benitez and Carlos Quintero (from Ecuador and Colombia respectively), midfielder Daniel Luduena (from Argentina), defender Jonathan Lacerda (from Uruguay) and veteran Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sanchez still available, it will be tough for Jabloteh to rebound in the return leg on August 4 (starting at 10 pm TT time) at the Estadio Nuevo Corona in Torreon, Mexico.

Jabloteh were trying to atone for a horrific 2009 display, where they lost every match in the Group Stage, while Santos’ last appearance was in 2008 where they lost in the semi-finals to eventual champs and fellow Mexican outfit Atlante. Santos got things going, with a series of short passes which pegged back the Jabloteh defence, while Jabloteh were unable to mount any serious attack on the Santos’ penalty box.

In the 12th minute, the visitors were given an opportunity to break the deadlock, but defender Rafa Figueroa, who had stayed up from an earlier corner, headed Rodrigo Ruiz’s left-sided cross inches over.In a rare Jabloteh attempt, 17 minutes later, Noel Williams drilled a long-range left-footed drive inches overbar, though goalie Miguel Becerra had the goal covered, while the visitors spurned a good chance, in the 38th, when Oribe Peralta was given a fine through-ball from Jaime Toledo but shot wide, with only keeper Cleon John to beat.

Midfielder Rodolfo Salinas was influential in two efforts, early in the second half – in the 53rd he found Peralta on the run and the forward hit the side-netting while, three minutes later, Salinas and Peralta teamed up to fed Ruiz on the opposite end, and his left-footer missed the target.

A deflected left-footer from Marvin Oliver, from the edge of the penalty area, forced an alert save from Becerra while, two minutes afterwards (60th), Salinas was teed up by Peralta but his right-footer was denied by John.

Substitute Carlos Morales embarrassingly missed a fine opportunity in the 74th, after he was spotted alone on the left by Ruiz (following an exchange between Peralta and Jose Cardenas), the midfielder shot wide with only John to beat.

But John was eventually beaten nine minutes later, as the Jabloteh defence was torn apart from another raid featuring Peralta and Cardenas, this time down the left flank.