MEXICO CITY — Portuguese striker Joao Paulo Fernandes Paulinho scored a hat trick on Thursday and Mexican reigning champion Toluca had a 4-2 victory over MLS side LA Galaxy in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal series.
Nicolas Castro open the scoring in the 12th minute and Paulinho added goals in the 43rd and sealed the win in the 73rd and 85th minutes for the Diablos Rojos.
The 33-year-old Paulinho, who played for Sporting Clube before joining Toluca in the summer of 2024, has won three scoring titles in Mexico and recently was called up by Portugal for friendly matches against Mexico and the United States ahead of the World Cup.
Gabriel Pec in the 66th minute and former Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus in the 77th scored for the Galaxy which has not won in Mexico in this tournament since 2008.
The teams will play again next Wednesday in California.
