CONCACAF Champions League roundup

Buoyed by the third largest crowd to watch a soccer match at Olympic Stadium, the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer Leagues First Division defeated Mexican Primera Division squad Santos Laguna 2-0 in a CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage match Wednesday night in Montreal.

"We were worried about our match fitness, but the support we had in the stands was unbelievable," Impact midfielder Sandro Grande told CONCACAF.com. "They say Canada is a hockey country but Montreal is a soccer city. This is a great first step."

Former Cuban international Eduardo Sebrango scored a goal in each half to lift the Impact to the 2-0 victory in the opening leg of the quarterfinals in front of a crowd of 55,571 inside Olympic Stadium. It is also the largest crowd to watch a CONCACAF Champions League match.

The return match is scheduled for March 5 in Torreon, Mexico.

Sebrango struck for his first goal less than five minutes into the match, following up a nice combination with Roberto Brown, to put a sliding left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box past Mexican national team goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

Brown headed Nevio Pizzolitto's long ball out of the back into the box. Santos defender Johnnie Garcia watched the ball bounce, but Sebrango pounced, beating Sanchez to the ball and heading it into the open net in the 77th minute.

"I came in feeling excited and confident," Sebrango told CONCACAF.com. "Roberto (Brown) and I were clicking and it was a very important win. It was one of the best games in my career."

With the exception of the Houston Dynamo, which gave up a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Atlante, each of the home teams held serve in the first leg of the aggregate series.

In a Mexico City derby, Cruz Azul continued its recent stretch of dominance against Pumas UNAM, winning 1-0 on Jamie Lozano's fifth-minute free kick Wednesday night at Estadio Azul.

Los Cementeros extended its unbeaten streak against Pumas to seven games, dating back to Sept. 2006. Pumas keeper Odin Patino dived to his right, but had no chance to stop Lozano's goalazo from 25 yards out.

Both teams will travel across Mexico City to Estadio Olimpico Universitario next Wednesday for the second leg and a chance at a semifinal berth against either the Puerto Rico Islanders or CD Marathon of Honduras.

The Puerto Rico Islanders of USL-1 rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat CD Marathon 2-1 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico Thursday night.

Jerry Palacios, who leads Marathon with four goals in the Honduran Clausura, struck in the 41st minute, capitalizing on a Puerto Rico defensive miscue to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

But the Islanders, still in preseason mode, scored twice in the final 16 minutes to come away with an impressive victory.

Newcomer Nicholas Addlery tied the match at 1 in the 74th minute, heading Jonathan Steele's service over the head of Marathon goalkeeper Juan Obelar. Kendall Jagdeosingh, who replaced Pablo Nunez in the 57th minute, scored the eventual game-winner seven minutes later.

He dribbled from the corner flag into the edge of the box, touched the ball to his right foot and blasted a shot that took a deflection off defender Milton Palacios and past Obelar nine minutes from full time.

The second leg will be played in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on March 4.

"We have to start the first half (in Honduras) like we ended this second half," Jagdeosingh said told CONCACAF.com . "We have to not get too swelled of a head. We need to keep doing what we were doing."