Santos, current champion of Mexican soccer, started the tournament poorly by losing at home 1-3 against León and finishing the match with eight players due to expulsions.

The Argentine goalkeeper Agustín Marchesin in the 6th minute, the Cape Verdean Djanini Tavares in the 47th minute, and the Mexican César Ibáñez in the 65th minute saw the red card and left Santos at a disadvantage against León in their first match.

Marchesin's expulsion was for a penalty that the Argentine Mauro Boselli converted into the 0-1, Carlos Peña scored the 0-2, and Boselli himself took care of sending the ball into the net for the 0-3; Santos' goal was scored by Sergio Ceballos in the 80th minute.