León visits Tigres to kick off Liga MX semifinals

León survives scare from scrappy Liga MX underdogs

The Esmeraldas roared up the table down the stretch of the Apertura 2021, going 3-1-1 to rise from eighth and claim the No. 3 seed and a first-round playoff bye.

“La Fiera” finished with an 8-5-4 record (29 points, with 20 goals scored, 14 goals allowed) after a positive start was complicated by the early injury to Montes (hurt in the team’s second game, the captain missed the next five matches) and the absence of hybrid fullback/winger Fernando Navarro (knee surgery).

Holan gradually got more and more comfortable in his first season in Liga MX while key newcomers Omar Fernández and Santiago Ormeño took awhile to settle in. In fact, Ormeño – a top striker acquired from Puebla – only got three starts during the regular season, but was inserted into the starting line-up for the return match against his former team.

That series against Puebla was fraught with danger as “La Franja” are a pesky, physical team that attacks and attacks for 90 minutes. León was on its back foot throughout the first leg despite scoring first (Barreiro-28’). The host Camoteros answered back less than 2 minutes later then went ahead with a brilliant counterattack in minute 79.

The veteran Esmeraldas were unperturbed (especially as this very same scenario played out in the Guardianes 2020 quarterfinals) and just like a year earlier, “La Fiera” executed the game plan and emerged with a 2-0 win to advance on a 3-2 aggregate.

In Saturday’s second leg, Mena produced both León goals, the first in minute 25 to rev up the crowd and the second from the penalty spot in minute 80.