It was an interesting match between Pachuca and Pumas. Both teams played last night in the Liga MX Play-In Matchup between the 7th and 8th teams. Liga MX adopted the Play-In format last season to decide the 7th and 8th seed for the “liguilla”. The league is using the same model as the NBA, having the tourney play out a week before the playoffs. Just another way to create more television revenue and sell more tickets.
The format has been met with some criticism because some people feel they are rewarding teams that finish outside the top 8. This format does seem better than the “repechage” format that they had between 2020-2023, having teams finishing 5-12 play a one-game play-off to determine the last four play-off spots. Did Pachuca have enough energy for this match considering they played just 48 hours before in the CONCACAF Champions Cup?
A Grueling Match Between Pumas and Pachuca
This match ended up being a defensive struggle with neither team scoring a goal as the match ended in a scoreless draw that needed penalty kicks to decide the winner. You could say the match was ruined by a red card. In the 28th minute, Pumas defender Nathan Silva elbowed Pachuca midfielder Sergio Aguayo causing Aguayo to get a nosebleed.
The referee decided to hand out a red card after seeing Aguayo down and injured. It was pretty close as Silva had his back to Aguayo so it’s not clear if it was intentional. The match completely changed after that as Pumas decided to hold on with one less player after the red card and “park the bus” as they say to hold on for penalty kicks for the next 60 minutes. In the end, it paid off.
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A Lack of Energy and Questionable Calls: Pumas vs Pachuca
Pachuca played with a B team only using 3 three starters from Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinal. It was a struggle for Pachuca to put together a competitive team and it showed in this match. They must feel they had it all to win the match considering they had an extra man for 60 minutes. Salomón Rondón had two goals wiped away from VAR late in the match that were questionable calls, especially the second one.
On the TUDN Broadcast, announcers commented that they thought the second goal was on-side and should have counted. Pumas could say the mission accomplished after they got this game to penalty kicks and won it 5-3 during the penalty kicks. Pumas will now be the 7th seed and will take on Cruz Azul in the Liga MX quarterfinal of the “liguilla” while Pachuca will host Necaxa on Sunday Night to determine the 8th seed.
About the Author
Mike Nelson lives and breathes sports. Ever since he was very young he has also dreamed of covering sports. Mike graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. He has been very lucky to cover sports and be on the radio for the last few years with different organizations including a stint with the LA Galaxy where he was one of the announcers for the LA Galaxy 2 team for two seasons.
Mike loves music, he hosts his radio show/podcast “The Mike Nelson Show” where he has gotten to interview the biggest names in rock and metal including Les Claypool, David Ellefson, and others.
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