MEXICO CITY: Portuguese Pedro Caixinha has resigned as coach of Mexican champions Santos Laguna five matches into the season.

Caixinha, who steered Santos to the Clausura championship title in May, gave no reason for the decision he announced on Saturday, the day after his side's 2-0 defeat at home to America.

The Portuguese coach had said earlier this year his ambitions lay in Europe.

The 44-year-old, who took charge in November 2012, leaves Santos bottom of the Apertura, first of two championships in the Liga MX season, after one win and four losses.

"After making an analysis of my three years at the club, I have decided to leave my position as head coach of Santos Laguna," Caixinha said in a written statement at a news conference.

"The reasons are secondary," he added. "I will be marked for life by the experience here in Torreon, at Santos Laguna, where I managed a team of great warriors and in which we reaped important triumphs in recent months."

Caixinha, who did not take questions from the media, also led Santos to victory in the Copa Mexico knockout competition last year and the 2015 'Champion of champions' trophy against last season's Apertura winners America.

America's win on Friday at the Corona stadium in Torreon put them in fourth place in the standings with nine points, three behind leaders Leon who won 4-3 at Morelia on Saturday.

UANL Tigres' French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored a hat-trick in their 4-1 home win over Chiapas that appears to have signalled their recovery from their Libertadores Cup hangover.

Tigres had taken one point from their previous four league games as they concentrated on South America's top club competition in which they lost the final to Argentina's River Plate.

Guadalajara, who narrowly escaped relegation in May, resume their battle to avoid the drop this season at Toluca on Sunday.

The Chivas, with four points from four matches in the Apertura, are two from bottom of the relegation standings based on teams' average points over three seasons.