Soccer-Santos Laguna take last play-off spot after Toluca draw

MEXICO CITY, May 10 (Reuters) - Santos Laguna were gifted the eighth and final Mexican league playoff spot on Sunday after Toluca failed to beat the Tigres of Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in a crucial end-of-season decider.

Toluca needed to win to go above Santos, who had drawn 2-2 with Puebla on Saturday.

While Toluca had 19 shots to UANL's six and hit the woodwork in the 92nd minute they could not get the vital goal against the league leaders from Monterrey.

"We didn't deserve anything today, a team that aspires to the title can't play like we did," said Toluca coach Jose Saturnino Cardozo. "We didn't do what we had to do."

The result means Santos will face UANL in the quarter-finals, Ronaldinho's Queretaro play Veracruz, Guadalajara face Atlas in a city derby, and reigning champions America take on Pachuca.

On Saturday, the Leones Negros knocked Cruz Azul out of the reckoning with a 2-0 win but the victory was not enough to save them from relegation. Puebla's point at Santos lifted them to safety by the thinnest of margins.

The relegation placings are decided by percentages over the last three years and both Puebla and Leones Negros had 1.0294 percent. However, Puebla's better goal difference saved them from the drop.

Monterrey striker Dorlan Pabon finished the 17-game season as top goalscorer with 10 goals. (Writing by Andrew Downie in Sao Paulo; Editing by Peter Rutherford)