America was just minutes away from being eliminated from the Liga MX playoffs. Pachuca was leading 2-1 in the aggregate score in stoppage time and was on the verge of a historic win. America was the number 1 seed going into the series against a fatigued Pachuca team who was the number 8 seed.
Pachuca was the better team in the 1st leg at home but was not able to take advantage and tied 1-1. It was a frustrating draw and America knew they had been lucky to not lose. In the second leg, both teams looked to have better performances to try and win the series.
Did America deserve to win the series?
America: Early Mistakes Can Be Costly
America was the better team in this match. They dominated from the start and the loud crowd at Estadio Azteca was behind them. It looked like a goal from America would come soon in the first half but it never did. They missed chance after chance and Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno made big stops to keep the match scoreless.
Then disaster struck for America. In the 31st minute, a horrible turnover from defender Igor Lichnovsky occurred as he passed the ball into the penalty box where no one was and right to Oussama Idrissi and he shot it in unmarked to give Pachuca the 1-0 lead and 2-1 lead in the aggregate score.
It was the first and only clear opportunity Pachuca had in the entire match to score and Idrissi took advantage. America was in trouble but they also knew that with one more goal, they would advance.
Also Read: 1-1 Draw to America a Massive Slip-up For Pachuca To Put Series Away
America: Last Minute Push For the Goal
Pachuca decided to “park the bus” to start the second half to try and hold on with their 2-1 lead. The Liga MX Playoff format rewards teams who finish higher in the standings by allowing them to advance to the next round if they are tied in the aggregate score after two matches. There are no longer away goals used as a tiebreaker and there has never been extra time or penalty kicks used in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
America being the higher seed just needed one more goal to advance but for a while, it seemed it wouldn’t happen. Then Julián Quiñones came in as a substitute to save the day. America continued pushing for a goal and a last-minute cross led to a rebound given up by Moreno which Quiñones scored to the elation of the crowd.
America was saved from a complete failure of a season because it would have been a huge letdown getting eliminated by the number 8 seed and also getting eliminated twice by Pachuca in the same month. Just weeks earlier Pachuca eliminated America from the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal.
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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