Shorthanded Pumas survive in Pachuca; Necaxa advances to elimination match

Julio González pitched a 6-save shut-out and blocked a shot in the penalty shootout to earn 10-man UNAM a spot in the quarterfinals at the expense of a wasteful Pachuca side.

Twice in the dying minutes, the Pumas were rescued by video replay, with Salomón Rondón being declared offside, nullifying what would have been the game-winning goal on a pair of occasions.

What promised to be a tense affair was altered dramatically in minute 28 when UNAM defender Nathan Silva was ejected for a violent foul on Sergio Aguay.

The youthful Tuzos squandered their man advantage with inefficiency and sloppiness and now they’ll have to play again Sunday to win a spot in the Liguilla.

Concacaf success doesn’t carry over to Liga MX

Playing with a makeshift line-up just two days after a grueling victory over América in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Guillermo Almada hoped that his academy youngsters could come through and allow the starters to rest .

Only three Pachuca players from Tuesday’s starting line-up were on the field at the opening whistle Thursday night. 

Thanks to early red card, the Tuzos dominated possession (64%), playing most of the match in the Pumas half of the pitch. But much to Almada’s chagrins, they lacked patience in their offensive third. 

Time and again, the Tuzos carelessly dribbled into trouble, sent passes into traffic, and lofted errant (and often aimless) crosses into the box. They often settled for long shots instead of testing UNAM’s defensive discipline.

At the 55-minute mark, Almada sent three starters into the fray and Pachuca became a bit more dangerous, but could not crack the Pumas defense.

After 90 minutes, it was time for the shoot-out and González stepped up. The UNAM goalie deflected Jesús Hernández’s shot off his right post while all five Pumas shooters found the net.

With that, the Pumas earned the No. 7 seed and they’ll face crosstown rivals Cruz Azul in the Liga MX quarterfinals while Pachuca must summon its reserves ahead of Necaxa’s visit on Sunday.

Necaxa's good week continues

A few days after the big news that Hollywood actors – and successful soccer club owners – Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny purchased a minority interest in Necaxa, the Rayos took a big step toward Liga MX relevance.

A season after finishing dead last in the Liga MX table, “los electricistas” earned a spot in the Liga MX Play-In tournament. 

Necaxa improved from 18th to 9th, earning them a home game against No. 10 seeds Querétaro and the Rayos survived a physical match before advancing to the second stage of the Play-In tournament by defeating the Gallos Blancos in a shoot-out.

Striker Diber Cambindo put Necaxa ahead in minute 56, but the visitors equalized behind Federico Lértora just 3 minutes later.

In the shootout, Necaxa made three of its four spot kicks while Querétaro went 2-for-5, the Estadio Victoria crowd erupting in cheers when Pablo Barrera's spot kick clanged off the crossbar and out of harm's way.

The Rayos now travel to Pachuca to take on the Tuzos with the winner advancing to the Liga MX quarterfinals as the No. 8 seed. Ironically, that means if the Tuzos advance, their reward will be a two-game series against América who, no doubt, would be eager to exact revenge.