Early goal helps Chivas scrape by 10-man Tijuana
Guadalajara took pressure off embattled coach Luis Fernando Tena with a hard-fought win on the road to end a 5-game winless streak.
The Chivas halted their free-fall thanks to an early goal and a questionable red-card decision that forced Tijuana to chase the game for more than 70 minutes. Despite playing a man down, the Xolos twice missed out on the equalizer.
Early on, Chivas right back Jesús Sánchez forced a turnover then sent a perfectly weighted pass through the defense that winger Uriel Antuna chased down before one-touching a pinpoint pass across the face of goal to J.J. Macías racing down the left channel. Macías poked it home to give Guadalajara a 1-0 lead at the 3-minute mark.
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The play served as redemption for Antuna who was booed by the home fans last weekend after squandering two clear scoring chances in the club’s 2-1 loss to Cruz Azul.
Fifteen minutes later, Xolos winger Mauro Lainez tried to collect a bouncing ball just Sánchez raced in to head it clear. Sánchez met the ball just as Lainez’s boot slammed into his forehead. Ref Marco Antonio Ortiz correctly whistled the foul but was summoned for a video booth review after which he determined that Lainez deserved a red card. It was a harsh decision.
The Chivas could have put the game away but Tijuana fought tooth and nail to stay in the game, although many of ref Ortiz’s calls (and non-calls) went against the Xolos.
In the second half, Nacho Rivero lined up a 25-meter free kick from straight out in front. His right-footed blast clanged off the crossbar and as the Chivas scrambled to clear the ball, Miguel Ponce steamrolled Leandro González in the box.
Unfortunately, Bryan Angulo missed the ensuing penalty kick when his shot ricocheted off the inside of the left post. The Chivas were able to see the game out after that scare, but coach Tena can’t be too pleased that his team almost gave up a late lead despite having a man advantage.
The win – the first for Guadalajara in Tijuana since 2011 – was just the second of the season for the Chivas (2-3-2, 9 points) and they climbed into 8th place pending the weekend results. Tijuana remains mired in 15th place with a 1-3-3 record.