All 18 teams retain realistic hopes of stepping on the gas to make the playoffs, while at least three need to get in gear soon to avoid taking a wrong turn to relegation.

At the top of the table, the standout fixture of Week 8 in the Primera División pitted the unbeaten record of early pacesetters Guadalajara against Cruz Azul, sitting in fourth place. Saturday’s match between two of the more venerable clubs in Mexican football was given a bit of extra spice after Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara baited the capital city side with claims they were “a long way” from beating his beloved Goats.

If there was ever a Dick Dastardly in the Primera División, Vergara’s motor-mouth would make him a prime candidate. In the end, however, the media tycoon’s taunts seemed to have more effect on the Cement Men of Cruz Azul than his own team. Although Chivas enjoyed better possession and territory, the Light Blues were determined to avoid defeat in front of a full-house home crowd at Estadio Azul and Guadalajara’s dangerous attack was kept well in check.

The pattern was set as early as the third minute, when Chivas forward Sergio Santana blasted a good early chance into the chest of home defender Joaquín Beltrán. Youngster Fabián de la Mora followed that miss by shooting wide of Oscar Pérez’s right hand post on the half hour mark and Chivas best chances of the game were gone. Cruz Azul’s Uruguayan coach Sergio Markarián introduced compatriot Nicolás Vigneri in the second half, but the Cementeros’ attitude was best summed up by the clenched fist celebration of defender Beltrán when his late block on Chivas’ Bravo ensured the scoreline remained blank.

In truth, considering the way the Mexican league is divided into groups, the draw should have surprised nobody. A point each ensured both teams stayed in the hunt at the top of Group One, maintained Chivas’ unbeaten start and allowed the Guadalajara squad to look to the crunch clash with Brazilian side Santos in the Copa Libertadores. A share of the spoils also permitted Cruz Azul to insist they are closer to their rivals than Vergara´s big mouth might proclaim.

With the table-toppers ultimately disappointing, the stage was set for an intriguing match between two other giants of the Mexican game. The UANL Tigers of Monterrey and Mexico’s biggest club América have shared more than just their yellow and blue kit colours recently. Despite paying some of the biggest wages in the national game, both are toiling at the wrong end of the general table and have fired a coach in the last couple of weeks. Tigers have the added burden of sitting towards the bottom of the percentage tables, meaning relegation remains a real threat for the Northerners.

Nonetheless, since new coach Manuel Lapuente took over following a humiliating 6-1 reverse against Pachuca three weeks ago, Tigres have shown definite signs of recovery. The vastly experienced Lapuente is an interesting anomaly among Mexican coaches. Famed for his flat caps and studious style, “Manolo” has an envious record in the Primera Division. After a twenty-odd year career, including five Mexican titles – one with America – and two stints in charge of the national team, Lapuente was enjoying semi-retirement as a director with the Eagles until he decided he missed the cut and thrust of management.

América’s administrative loss seems to be Tigres immediate gain. After overseeing two promising draws at home to Chivas and away to reigning champions Atlante, Lapuente put his inside knowledge of América to devastating use in the Estadio Universitario on Saturday evening. Loading the right side by picking Fabián Cubero to support Javier Saavedra and keeping faith in Emmanuel Cerda to keep the left flank occupied, Lapuente completely out-thought his opposite number Rubén Omar Romano on the América bench.

Within three minutes, Lucas Lobos had crashed a brilliant free-kick against the crossbar for Hugo Sanchez Guerrero to guide the rebound into the unguarded goal with a careful header. Buoyed by the early lead, Tigres stuck to their game plan, looked dangerous on the break and doubled their lead just before half-time. Cerda managed to poke the ball through to Panamanian striker Blas Pérez, who poked the ball forward and fell heavily under a challenge from América custodian Navarrete. Although replays suggested a crafty piece of playacting from the big Tigers forward, referee Manuel Morales pointed to the spot and Lobos got the goal his all-round play deserved.

Apart from the occasional flash of brilliance from Paraguayan talisman Salvador Cabañas, América were pitifully short of inspiration. By the time substitute Gastón Fernández had cheekily chipped home a second penalty – awarded for an indisputable late challenge from Diego Cervantes on Lucas Ayala – the Americanistas were already filing out of the stadium in disgust. The 3-0 mauling left América joint bottom of the general table and suffering the second worst start to a season ever as a full-blown crisis took hold in Coapa. Having just been appointed, Romano will surely be safe for a few more weeks - particularly with relegation practically impossible this time round – but the Argentine coach fooled nobody with his fighting talk after Saturday’s result: “I feel the team is getting better,” he argued. “We lacked the final touch and the result was deceptive.”

Despite Romano’s brave face, the only stain on an otherwise satisfying evening for Tigres came with news that relegation rivals Veracruz had sneaked a surprise victory away to Necaxa courtesy of a Claudio Graf goal on the hour mark. The result kept afloat the Red Sharks hopes of surviving in the top division, though they still lay bottom according to the percentages table.

With Chivas stalling against Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna had an extra reason to go for a win against Northern rivals Rayados in Sunday’s Group Two match-up. Not only would a win put clear daylight between the Torreón-based club and other group rivals, three points would also close the gap to Guadalajara at the top of the general standings. First half goals from Christian Benítez and Vicente Matías Vuoso ensured the dominant Saints got the victory they deserved, while inconsistent Monterrey were left to lick their wounds ahead of next week’s city derby with the resurgent Tigres.

University-based sides UAG Tecos and UNAM Pumas pitted their roller-coaster form against each other in Guadalajara on Friday night, with a double-strike from Argentine striker Esteban Solari guaranteeing victory despite a consolation goal from Sebastián “Chamagol” González five minutes before the end. Elsewhere in Group One, second half goals from Fernando Salazar and Carlos Rodriguez gave Pachuca a valuable win against group leaders Toluca on Sunday to move within two points of their hosts.

Meanwhile, Puebla’s loss away to Atlas on Saturday hauled them back into the relegation picture. A brace from Jorge Daniel Achucarro did the damage for Atlas despite a late reply from Joaquín Velázquez, allowing the Guadalajara-based Foxes to leapfrog Monterrey into second place in Group Two.

San Luís continued a quietly promising first half to the season with two late strikes from Eduardo Coudet and Tressor Moreno ensuring the Gladiators took full advantage of three red cards shown to rivals Atlante in Saturday’s showdown at the Estadio Alfonso Lastra Ramírez. The win moved Raúl Arias’ San Luís team into second place in Group Three. The same afternoon, the Monarchs of Morelia stayed in the hunt for qualification from the same section with a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over struggling Chiapas club Jaguars.

Mark Walsh is a freelance journalist based in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey. A graduate of Cambridge University, he trained with the Express & Star evening newspaper, in Wolverhampton, England. Mark has written for magazines and websites such as FourFourTwo and ESPN as well as publications including The Times newspaper, Asahi Evening News, in Japan, and El Norte newspaper, in Mexico. He specialises in articles on world soccer in general and the Mexican game in particular.