Soccer-Pumas, Atlante reach Mexican final

MEXICO CITY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Pumas UNAM reached the final of the Mexican championship despite losing 4-2 to Santos Laguna in their semi-final second leg, where Daniel Ludena scored a hat-trick.

Pumas, who qualified 5-4 on aggregate, will face Atlante after the Cancun-based team knocked out Guadalajara, the country's most popular side.

Santos's elimination has again focused attention on the controversial format used for the tournament.

Instead of the conventional league, the 18 teams meet each other once in the qualifying stage and are divided into three groups, with eight progressing to the knockout stage.

Pumas qualified from their group with a modest 24 points from 18 games but have since eliminated Toluca, who finished with 34 points, and Santos, who finished with 38.

Already leading 3-0 from the first leg, Pumas opened the scoring with a Carlos Gonzalez goal in the 11th minute.

Ludena equalised two minutes later and struck again in the 36th minute to give Santos a halftime lead but Argentine Ignacio Scocco levelled against the run of play eight minutes into the second half.

Matias Vuoso and his fellow Argentine Ludena scored two more in the last 15 minutes but Santos could not complete the fightback.

Atlante beat Guadalajara 1-0 with a third-minute goal by Venezuela forward Giancarlo Maldonado to reach the final in their first season since moving their franchise from Mexico City to the Caribbean resort of Cancun.

The tie finished 1-1 on aggregate but Atlante went through on having the better record in the qualifying stage. (Reporting by Carlos Calvo; Writing by Brian Homewoood in Rio de Janeiro, editing by Justin Palmer)