Monarcas Morelia Vs. Pumas UNAM, 2011 Liguilla Final, Final Score: 1-1 Full Time

Pumas UNAM will be favorites in the return leg of the Liguilla final, but thanks to a goal by Joao Rojas, Monarcas Morelia are still very much in the tie. Fransisco ‘Paco’ Palencia was the man who opened the scoring for Pumas, putting Morelia into a serious hole, but Rojas saved the day, and he’s given his team a very good chance to win the title in Mexico City on Sunday.

The first half was generally poor and lacking in true scoring opportunities. Pumas did not pass the ball particularly well, while Morelia lacked creativity in the final third and often made poor decisions. When the halftime whistle blew, most people were both happy to hear it and excited for what would come after some halftime adjustments.

While the second half also started a bit slow, the football was of a much higher quality for the first 15 minutes of the second half than in the entire first half. On the 60th minute, Pumas introduced Juan Cacho and Leandro Augusto into the game, changing things considerably.

Though they were not directly involved in Paco Palencia’s opener, Pumas played much better for the seven minutes between when they came on and when Palencia scored, and there’s no doubt that their introduction into the game had something to do with the goal. The finish itself was all Palencia, though, as he cut onto his right foot from the left hand side of the box and ripped a great right-footed shot into the top corner.

Pumas’ lead was short lived, though, as Rojas equalized five minutes later with a fantastic effort, running through the Pumas defense before finishing precisely with a low shot that got by Alejandro Palacios.