Playing for 90
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Odds and Ends from Liga MX quarterfinals

By Thomas Buckley

Cruz Azul overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit to advance to the semifinals over Toluca. (Photo by Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Cruz Azul overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit to advance to the semifinals over Toluca. (Photo by Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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Liga MX quarters, final
Santos players mob Ronaldo Prieto after he scored in minute 90+1, lifting the Guerreros into the semifinals. (Photo by JULIO CESAR AGUILAR/AFP via Getty Images) /

‘La Franja’ moves on despite scoring drought

Puebla entered Saturday’s second-leg match against Atlas on a decent 3-3-2 run that allowed “La Franja” to secure a first-round bye. Unfortunately, that eight-game stretch was bookended by losses at the hands of the Zorros.

“Los Rojinegros” had defeated the host Camoteros 1-0 back on Matchday 11, and then handed the No. 3 seed a 1-0 loss at Estadio Jalisco in the first leg on Wednesday.

So, if not for an Atlas own-goal, Puebla would be packing for summer vacation right now. As such, no Puebla player scored against Atlas in three games this season!

And since “La Franja” finished the season with two scoreless draws, that means no Puebla player has scored since April 17 in the Camoteros’ 4-1 Matchday 15 victory over Atlético de San Luis. It’s not a good idea to carry a scoring drought deep into the Liguilla …

Guerreros win at the buzzer

No. 5 seed Santos Laguna found an equalizer at the death in Monterrey on Sunday, and the 1-1 second-leg result gave the Guerreros a 3-2 aggregate victory.

In Sunday’s fast-paced, high-energy game, Santos managed just one shot on goal and that came in minute 90+1 – after a ball headed out of bounds ricocheted off Jesús Gallardo right to Roni Prieto who was all alone in front of net. But that single solitary shot ended up in the back of the net, negating Maxi Meza’s opener back in minute 30 that had the Rayados on the verge of the Liga MX Final Four.

As a result, Guillermo Almada will take his “90-minutes-of-hell” tactics into the semifinals. The demanding coach harangues his team into applying constant pressure all over the pitch – reminiscent of Nolan Richardson’s great Arkansas Razorbacks hoops teams, and their infamous “40 minutes of hell.”

The Guerreros incredible intensity inevitably wears down the opponent, and that’s exactly what happened in both legs of the Santos-Monterrey quarterfinal series. “Los Albiverdes” grabbed momentum and held it throughout the second half of their first-leg 2-1 victory and attacked in waves during the final 15 minutes of Sunday’s second leg.

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