Impressive Colo Colo hammer Unión La Calera

Colo Colo maintained their relentless pace at the top of the Clausura with a thumping 5-1 win against Unión La Calera.

Coquimbo – Felipe Flores headed the albos in front in the 32nd minute and they never looked back. Luis Pavez and Esteban Paredes both scored twice, the latter´s both from the penalty spot, as Colo Colo ran riot. Paulo Rosales scored a consolation for the home side.

Colo Colo boss Héctor Tapie played things down after his side secured their ninth win in ten matches. Their only blip was a 1-1 draw with Antofagasta in their third game.

He said: “We´re happy, but we go game by game, we haven´t won anything yet.”

Goalkeeper Justo Villar followed the same line. The Paraguayan said: “We have to stay performing like this, we can´t sit back and relax.”

Colo Colo´s closest rivals are six to nine points adrift, but at least they didn´t lose ground at the weekend. Universidad Católica maintained second place with a solid 2-0 win at struggling Rangers, Darío Bottinelli and substitute Milovan Mirosevic netting.

Champions O´Higgins got back on track after last week´s shock defeat at Huachipato with a 1-0 victory against Universidad de Chile. Alejandro López´s brilliant 25^th-minute free-kick proved the difference.

Sixth-placed U de Chile have 14 points from ten games – exactly half the total of arch-rivals Colo Colo.

Fourth-placed Palestino beat Huachipato 2-1 at home on Thursday to stay in the hunt, while fifth-placed Iquique thrashed ailing Cobreloa 5-2. Striker Manuel Villalobos hit a hat-trick for the hosts.

In the other round ten matches, Unión Española beat Audax Italiano 3-2, Cobresal defeated Everton 2-0 and there were two 1-1 draws – Santiago Wanderers vs Ñublense and Universidad de Concepción vs Antofagasta.

*Manuel Pellegrini´s hopes of a domestic treble in his first season as Manchester City boss were left in tatters when his side went down to a shock 2-1 home defeat against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Wigan beat City in the FA Cup final last term, but also suffered relegation from the Premier League. Wigan’s Chilean, Jean Beausejour, didn’t play against the Citizens.

The Latics will now take on Arsenal in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.

Tags: Clausura, Colo Colo, Football