HOUSTON - Edgar Benitez's first-half goal lifted Mexican side Pachuca to a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday and into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.

Los Tuzos climbed atop Group A with 12 points, two points in front of Panama's Arabe Unido. The Dynamo are third with seven points. Pachuca became the third Mexican squad to advance to the knockout stage, joining Cruz Azul - which clinched last week, and Pumas - which claimed its place earlier Wednesday.

Houston can still advance, but will need a victory by Pachuca at home over Arabe Unido on October 21, while it travels to play winless Metapan. Two teams from the group advance to the quarterfinals.

In the 23rd minute, Benitez took Juan Carlos Rojas' deep cross off his chest, split a pair of Houston defenders and beat Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad with a half volley. It was Pachuca's first win in four tries at Houston's Robertson Stadium.

Houston had the first quality scoring chance of the game as Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero dived to challenge Brad Davis' cross, but the ball deflected to Brian Mullan. The veteran midfielder could only push the shot over the crossbar in the 14th minute.

Mullan nearly equalized in the first minute of first-half stoppage time when his low shot had Calero beat, but it bounced off the post from 26 meters.

The Dynamo continued to press for the equalizer in the second half. In the 56th minute, Brian Ching picked up a loose ball and sent a cross toward the net that Dominic Oduro headed wide of the target.

Corey Ashe, who came on for Wade Barrett at the start of the second half, beat Calero to a ball inside the 18-yard box, chipped toward the net, but it went off a Pachuca defender. Ching followed, but his attempt at the open net also was blocked just past the hour mark.

Pachuca nearly put the game away in the 71st minute when Christian Gimenez, who replaced Benitez in the 60th minute, was played through but put his shot to Onstad's left from 12 meters.

Moments after Ulises Mendivil was sent in on goal, only to be denied by the offside flag, Rojas nearly added an insurance tally 10 minutes from time. The Mexican midfielder made a darting run down the left side, but put his shot caromed off the near post.

With Houston pushing numbers forward, Pachuca had several dangerous chances on the counter, including one by Luis Montes in the 85th minute when the young midfielder raced in on Onstad, who did well to come off his line and knock the ball away.

In the 89th minute, Stuart Holden served a sublime free kick toward the back post, but Ricardo Clark headed the ball wide of the net for the Dynamo's final scoring chance.