Pachuca and America drew 1-1 in the 1st leg of their quarterfinal matchup in the “liguilla” of the Liga MX. These two teams recently played each other in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinal which Pachuca won 3-2 in the aggregate score.
Pachuca didn’t seem tired at all despite playing 4 matches in 8 days last week. They had to play in CONCACAF and play in the Liga MX Play-In tournament which ended up qualifying the team as the 8th seed and set up a rematch with America who finished as the Number 1 seed.
Pachuca was the better team in this match. The team must felt they blew an opportunity to take a lead in the series to the second match in Estadio Azteca on Saturday night. Will it cost Pachuca the series?
Pachuca: Didn’t Finish Their Chances To Score
Pachuca was dominating in the first half. They were on an all-out attack from the first whistle and doing a lot of high press on America. It seemed like America was flat and out of sync. Pachuca took the lead in the 21st minute on a goal from Salomón Rondón who scored after a rebound was given up by America goalkeeper Luis Malagón.
After the goal, Pachuca had multiple opportunities to score again but couldn’t. Andrés Micolta had a clear opportunity in front of the net that he wasn’t able to finish. All the momentum and strong play were on their side throughout the first half but didn’t capitalize on it. America was sitting back just holding on but in the end, it paid off big.
Also Read: Incredible Liga MX Playoffs: Chivas Jumps Ahead With Strong Defense
Pachuca Left The Door Open, America Ran In
America had nothing going on the entire first half until near the end a counterattack led to a Henry Martín header goal. The Pachuca defense fell asleep and America had one opportunity and they finished it. As they say, the goals you don’t score are the ones that will be scored on you.
It was a frustrating end to the first half for Pachuca because they could have easily been ahead 3-0. During the second half, the team was never able to recover the ball possession and offensive pressure that they had in the first half.
America was able to shut down Pachuca and especially Rondón who was invisible in the second half. They just looked more fatigued in the second half, four matches in eight days started to show at this point. America has been playing strong defense all season leading to them finishing in first place. This Saturday, America can advance to the semifinal with a win or draw at home, while Pachuca has to win in the always-difficult Estadio Azteca.
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.
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