Visiting Pachuca trounces Toluca in 1st leg of Apertura 2022 Finals
Pachuca put on a dominant first-half display and, powered by a Romario Ibarra brace, the Tuzos trounced Toluca 5-1 in the first leg of the Liga MX Finals.
Ibarra scored on a breakaway just 8 minutes into the match and the visitors never looked back, scoring three more times before the halftime whistle to take a giant step toward their 7th Liga MX title.
Toluca pulled one back late, but squandered a massive opportunity to take the sting out of the rout and maintain a scintilla of hope for the return match.
Pachuca goalie Oscar Ustari parried aside a Leo Fernández penalty shot in minute 90+7 that, if converted, would have allowed the “Choriceros” to claim momentum heading into Sunday’s Gran Finale.
Tuzos burst out of the starting gate
El Tri midfielder Erick Sánchez sent Ibarra into the box with a perfect through ball and the Ecuadorian winger buried a sharply angled shot inside the far post, stunning the raucous crowd at Estadio Nemesio Diéz.
Defender Gustavo Cabral doubled Pachuca’s lead 5 minutes later and Ibarra put in the dagger in minute 36, finishing off a brilliant solo effort with aplomb. Youngster Mauricio Isaias headed home a Víctor Guzmán corner kick 5 minutes later and the “Choriceros” were cooked.
Liga MX Golden Boot winner Nico Ibáñez pumped home a fifth less than 10 minutes after the restart and red jerseys slumped all around the stadium.
To its credit, Toluca did not give up. After a momentary lull, the Diablos Rojos started pressing, looking to save face in their final home game of the year. As Pachuca appeared to tire – and became complacent – the Red Devils started creating dangerous offensive opportunities.
Toluca fans refused to watch silently, and they cheered on their team as the scoring chances continued to mount.
In minute 78, Fernández slalomed through the middle of the Pachuca defense and served up a sitter to Jordan Sierra, eliciting a deafening roar from a crowd that suddenly wondered if another goal or two was possible.
Danny Álvarez saw a shot disrupted by Oscar Murillo in minute 82, A few moments later, a lovely Fernando Navarro cross found Sierra’s head at the back post but Tuzos skipper Ustari was johnny-on-the-spot.
Deep into stoppage time, Pachuca was slow to clear after a free kick and Álvarez got behind the defense before being chopped down by Sánchez. A penalty kick! Coming out of the match with just a 3-goal deficit seemed almost like a win. Except …
Ustari guessed right, lunging to his left and swatting aside Fernández’s well-driven penalty shot, deflating Toluca hopes. The final whistle blew moments later.
Lamentations and bad luck
The outlook might have been a bit different if Toluca had not blown three clear looks at net.
Camilo Sanvezzo chuffed a volley on the back side after a quick Toluca counter in minute 27 when the Diablos Rojos were down 2-0.
Three minutes later, a well-designed set piece saw Marcel Ruiz all alone at the top of the box but he chunked his shot into Row 32.
Just 2 minutes after Pachuca made it 5-0, Navarro was wide-open at the back post for a header but failed to direct the ball between the pipes.
Meanwhile, the Tuzos were ruthless in front of net. Despite only 37 percent possession and manufacturing just 14 shots all game, Pachuca put five of its six shots on target past Tiago Volpi.
Pachuca unfriendly to visitors
Toluca was always going to have a tough time in the second leg at Estadio Hidalgo.
The Tuzos have only lost once in their last 28 games at home and they are currently on a six-game win streak, outscoring opponents 19-5.
Having to overturn a 5-1 deficit will make the task even more difficult.
Oh, and did we mention that Pachuca boasts the second-best defense in Liga MX? That’s right. The Tuzos conceded just 14 goals in 17 regular-season matches, allowing just 6 in their nine home games.
Toluca will have to win by 4 goals to force overtime. That’s not out of the question as the Diablos Rojos scored four times twice this season, including in the quarterfinals against Santos Laguna. But that came at home.
Next. Liga MX Final: Odds and ends, stats and trivia. dark
Meanwhile, Pachuca has given up more than 2 goals just once all season (a 3-0 home loss to América than ended the Tuzos’ 21-game unbeaten streak at Estadio Hidalgo).