Mexican Primera Divison, 2011 Apertura Liguilla: Jaguares Snatch Late Draw; Tigres-Pachuca Next

Jaguares Chiapas still have a chance of advancing to the Liguilla semifinals, but they’ve only rescued their chances by the slimmest of margins. With less than ten minutes remaining, Santos led by two goals in Chiapas, but Jaguares scored twice late to secure a 2-2 draw, giving them a chance to get through to the next round with a win away in Torreon.

It appeared at the start of the second half like Jaguares had no hope of getting back into the match, but they were given new life in the 71st minute when Jose Cardenas was shown a straight red card for a shocking tackle on Franco Arizala. At that point, the home side began to press forward and eventually found the goals they needed.

Cruz Azul were the much better side in the first half of their 2011 Apertura Liguilla Quarterfinal, first leg match against Monarcas Morelia, but have gone home needing a win to advance. La Machina went into halftime with a deserved 1-0 lead, but were completely outplayed and lost their cool in the second half, eventually losing by a final score of 2-1.

Morelia came out swinging in the second half and were the better side for the entirety of the period, but Cruz Azul looked like they would be able to hold on. That was, until left back Fausto Pinto was caught by the fourth official hurling profane insults at Morelia manager Tomas Boy. The fourth official informed the referee and Pinto was sent off, taking la Machina down to 10 men.

The Superlider Curse is very much alive, and Chivas Guadalajara have a ton of work to do to get themselves back into the title hunt. Queretaro have defeated the Goats by a final score of 2-1 at home, forcing Chivas into a situation where they must win by two in the second leg at home. Both Queretaro goals were scored by Carlos Bueno, who had an absolutely magnificent game for the Gallos Blancos. However, Chivas were able to claw back a goal in stoppage time, scored by ‘Chaton’ Jorge Enriquez.

Queretaro’s first goal came after just eight minutes on a spectacular individual effort. From the edge of the penalty area, Bueno turned with the ball at his feat and bent a left-footed shot into the back of the net at the far post, giving his team an early lead. They instantly became more defensive and sat on that one-goal lead for the rest of the half, denying Chivas chances.

Monarcas Morelia Lineup (4-4-2): Vilar; Perez, Marquez, Aldrete, Ocampo; Sandoval, Lozano, Cabrera, Ramirez; Sabah, Lugo

Cruz Azul lineup (4-4-2): Corona; Pinto, Dominguez, Araujo, Pereira; Gimenez, Torrado, I. Castro, Aquino; Villa, Orozco

Chivas Guadalajara are the heavy favorites to win this tie and one of the big favorites to win the Mexican Primera, but they’re in a bit of an early hole. After 45 minutes of play in the road leg of their two-legged quarterfinal tie, the Goats trail Queretaro by a score of 1-0. The Gallos Blancos’ leading scorer Carlos Bueno was the man who notched the goal, and his team have been defensive ever since it went in.

Bueno’s strike came in the 8th minute, and it was an absolute beauty. From the edge of the penalty area, Bueno turned with the ball at his feet and curled his shot into the back of the net with his left foot, giving his team a lead.

It appears that the Superlider Curse lives on. Queretaro have a 1-0 lead over top-seeded Chivas Guadalajara after just eight minutes, thanks to an absolutely stunning goal by their leading scorer Carlos Bueno. The former Uruguayan international added his 11th goal of the season, curling a shot past Chivas backup keeper Victor Hugo Hernandez.

Queretaro have 170+ minutes left to go, but they’re off to an absolutely spectacular start in this Liguilla tie.

Chivas Guadalajara Lineup (4-4-2): Hernández; Reynoso, De Luna, Magallón, Ponce; Araujo, Gallardo, Medina, Sánchez; Torres, Arellano

Queretaro Lineup (4-4-2): Sánchez; García Arias, Rico, Jiménez, Ruiz; Mondragón, Martínez, López, Ponce; Bautista, Bueno

Cruz Azul have had a better season and are the arguably deeper team, but Morelia are a team in fantastic form. They haven’t lost in over a month and went on a fantastic run to get up into Liguilla after sitting outside of the top eight for the entire season. Cruz Azul have been near the top all year, but have struggled to score at times and were lucky to stay in Copa Libertadores places.

The Blue Machine will get Alejandro Castro back from injury, which might be more of a curse than a blessing. Enrique Meza has a bit of a tendency to outsmart himself and might end up thinking a bit too hard about his formation before this game. Cruz Azul has played 5-4-1, 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2 at various points this season, depending on opponent and available personnel.

Despite the fact that they struggled enough to fire their manager mid-season, Chivas Guadalajara were able to finish in first place in the 2011 Apertura. They head into Liguilla hoping to avoid the ‘Superlider Curse’, and it would be stunning if they didn’t do it for at least one round. Queretaro are in Liguilla for the first time in their history, and despite their eighth place finish, they will still be relegation-threatened in the next tournament.

Queretaro’s biggest star is by far Carlos Bueno, their Uruguayan international striker. After scoring nine goals in his debut season for the Gallos Blancos last spring, he scored another 10 in the 2011 Apertura, guiding an inexpensive team built from spare parts to Liguilla.