Paulinho scores hat=trick in Toluca’s Champions League victory.

Toluca, with Paulinho, got off to a winning start in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter=finals. The Mexican team hosted the American side LA Galaxy for the first leg of the competition, and the Portuguese forward scored a hat-trick to secure a 4-2 victory.

The home team took an early lead in the match. Just 12 minutes into the game, Nicolas Castro, a 25-year-old Argentinian midfielder, scored the first goal for the Mexicans.

Even before halftime, Paulinho had the opportunity to get his first touch on the ball. The former Sporting player was set up inside the area and deflected it first-time to extend the lead (43′).

In the second half, Gabriel Pec, a Brazilian forward who came up through Vasco’s youth system, reduced LA Galaxy’s deficit (66th minute). However, shortly afterwards, Paulinho restored the Mexicans’ two-goal advantage.

In a beautiful attacking combination, the ball reached the Portuguese player’s left foot, who, with a first-time shot, placed it perfectly for 3-1 in the 73rd minute. The Americans reduced Toluca’s lead again, this time through a well-known name. Marco Reus, Dortmund’s star player who came off the bench in the 58th minute, appeared in a great position to deflect the ball into the goal, making it 3-2 in the 77th minute.

However, Paulinho scored a hat-trick to end any doubt. In a somewhat confusing play, the forward tried to intercept a ball, ending up deflecting it into the goal (85m).

With this victory (4-2), Toluca goes into the next game with an advantage. The second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals will be played in Los Angeles next Thursday.