The Chivas collected their third victory in a row after starting the Liga MX season 0-6-2. Saturday’s 3-1 triumph over the visiting Pumas lifted “El Rebaño Sagrado” into 7th place.
As for UNAM, they are headed in the opposite direction. The Pumas did not lose until Matchday 8 – the last Liga MX team to get an “L” – but they’ve now lost four of five and sit in 17th place.
UNAM struck first when a Diogo laser from 20 meters zipped past Miguel Jiménez in minute 3, but the remainder of the first half was all Chivas. Jesús Orozco (minute 15), Alexis Vega (38’) and Isaac Brizuela (40’) got on the scoresheet before the break.
The Pumas had several opportunities to cut into the lead in the second half, but just couldn’t get one past Jiménez and now UNAM coach Andrés Lillini will wait to see if he is given his walking papers.
Tigres 1, Necaxa 1
Earlier Saturday, Necaxa snuck into “El Volcán” and came away with a point, helping the Rayos bounce back from a brutal 4-0 home loss to the Chivas last weekend. “Los Electricistas” remain in 10th place with 14 points
The Tigres, on the other hand, squandered a chance to move atop the Liga MX table and will remain in fourth place with a 6-3-2 record. “Los felinos” are 1-2-1 in their last four with just three goals scored.
Cruz Azul 2, Querétaro 1
Cruz Azul “recovered” from its 7-0 shellacking at the hands of América by surviving a tough test from hapless Querétaro in a battle for last place.
The Cementeros ended its worst losing streak in 18 years (four straight) by edging the Gallos Blancos 2-1 thanks to a minute 83 goal from sub Christian Tabó who chipped goalie Washington Aguerre. Erik Lira provided the assist with a lovely pass behind the defense.
Interim coach Raúl Gutiérrez earned a win in his first Liga MX match after taking over from Diego Aguirre who was sacked hours after that embarrassing loss to the Aguilas.
“La Máquina” had gone ahead in minute 33 (a Rodolfo Rotondi header) but went down to 10 men when Iván Morales scraped Clifford Aboagye’s shins with a reckless tackle. Aboagye equalized about 20 minutes later, setting the stage for the Lira-Tabó heroics.
Querétaro extended its winless streak away from home to 43.
Friday night Liga MX action
América moved into first place with a comfortable 3-1 win over Mazatlán FC as Henry Martín scored the go-ahead goal just before halftime and Álvaro Fidalgo contributed two assists.
The win – the sixth straight for “Los AzulCremas” – improved the Aguilas’ record to 7-1-3 (22 points) and they still have a game in hand. Martín now has 7 goals – all scored in the last six matches.
In Puebla, underdog FC Juárez twice erased one-goal deficits to steal away from Estadio Cuauhtémoc with a point.
The result was the sixth consecutive draw for “La Franja” and extended the club’s winless streak to nine games, keeping Puebla smack in the middle of the Liga MX table.
The tie was a fine result for the Bravos – now 2-2-2 away from home – as FC Juárez continued its turnaround from last season when the club finished last.