Paulinho fires Toluca top on birthday, bags award (video) | OneFootball

Toluca defeated América 2-0 in the 17th round of the Apertura phase of the Mexican championship. With this victory, the Red Devils secured first place in this initial round and Paulinho, who scored again, is crowned top scorer of the league for the third consecutive time.

In a match played in the early hours of Sunday, November 9th – the day the former Sporting player turns 33 – the score was opened in the 40th minute. Nicolás Castro spotted the striker’s run, who finished with his left foot to make it 1-0.

In the second half, Toluca was awarded a penalty in the 56th minute. Despite having the chance to increase his lead over the second top scorer, Paulinho did not take the penalty kick. Helinho stepped up and converted, sealing the 2-0 final score.

With the win, Toluca reached 37 points, winning the Apertura phase of the Mexican championship. Tigres (36) and Cruz Azul (35) complete the podium. The goal also allowed the former Sporting player to reach 12 goals in just 14 games, matching João Pedro Galvão and Armando González, both of whom have played 17 matches.

This season, wearing the Toluca shirt, Paulinho – valued at 7 million euros – has already played 16 games: 14 in the Mexican league, one in the Champions Cup, and another in the Leagues Cup. In the 1,157 minutes he has played, the former Sporting striker has already scored 12 goals and provided two assists.

Watch Paulinho’s goal:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.