Xolo’s opening goal exposed Chivas defensive lapses@FOXSportsSD #GoXolos pic.twitter.com/mr7LXZcwOZ
— @Xolos_En (@xolos_en) July 22, 2018
Sleepy Chivas defenders look on as Xolos open Apertura with 2-1 win
Tijuana Xolos 2 : 1 Chivas Guadalajara
It was a tale of four important touches at the Estadio Caliente on Saturday night. Each of them was in or around the Chivas six yard box and each was won by a Xolos player. Those four touches brought about the two goals that decided this Apertura opening game in Baja California.
Juan Martin Lucero in the 54th and Ignacio Rivero in the 75th minutes applied the second and scoring touch in each case to secure Tijuana a very hard earned win to open the season after Jose van Rankin had briefly pulled Chivas level in the 59th.
The world spent all summer watching goals from set pieces during the Russia World Cup. Chivas alas seem to have missed the pressing need not to sleep through them.
Lucero himself won the opening touch for Rivero’s goal and Erik Cubo Torres was first to the set piece to set up Lucero’s winner.
Glorious as both goals were, the abject nature of the defending will leave Chivas coach José Cardozo tearing his hair out as his defenders were caught napping on both goals. Carlos Salcido and Jair Perreira were guilty on the first goal and Michael Pérez Ortiz being somewhat slow on the second. Those were just the defenders who missed the goal scoring touches. Others allowed Xolos to be first to the ball immediately after the set pieces.
While it was a game that the Chivas defence will try to forget, it will also be remembered as FS1’s opening salvo in their coverage of LigaMx.
Mark Rogandino and Jovan Kirovski provided a very good job in balancing their appeal between diehard (and perhaps mostly Hispanic) existing Liga Mx fans and relative newcomers.
They did not pretend the scoreless first half was redolent with excitement as MLS announcers have often excruciatingly done in trying to be salesmen for the league during a dull game. Rogandino’s goal calls as you can hear in the goal videos was nuanced and he didn’t pander.
It took a while for the Xolos to warm up with the visitors being the better side early on. However it was the hosts who so nearly drew first blood when Luis Chávez thumped the post from a free kick in the 11th minute.
The visitors replied with gusto but also with sub par finishing.
Neither Isaác Brizuela or Ángel Zaldívar forced Xolos keeper Gabriel Lahud to dirty his gloves with first half efforts both going wide. In the 38th minute, Orbelín Pineda finally did test the shaven headed custodian but Lahud was up to the task making a fine save.
Ignacio Rivero pounces for the winner as Chivas backs look on @xolos_en 2-1 @Chivas Do you guys like it? #GoXolos #WeAreSoccer pic.twitter.com/8TY1HbU885
— @Xolos_En (@xolos_en) July 22, 2018
Xolos regrouped at the interval and were the better side in the second half. Following on from a World Cup full of set piece goals, they struck twice although it looked like the Chivas defenders had learned nothing from Russia.
Perez’s day would get worse though when he was sent off somewhat unfortunately in the 81st minute when he was adjudged to have lashed out as he landed from a tackle by Omar Mendoza.
Diego Cocca will have good reason to be very pleased with the opening win. His side have taken three points off one of the league’s bigger hitters and their overall play looked sharper than you might expect on opening day. Their next outing is on Wenesday when they face a ‘Battle of the Borderers’ when they visit Chihuahua to play FC Juarez on the El Paso border in the Copa Mexico.
Next Sunday, they have another tough league game away to Tigres in Monterrey. They beat Leon 2-0 in their opening game. Things do not get any easier for Chivas though who host early table toppers Cruz Azul next weekend. The capital side easily downed Puebla 3-0.
Club Tijuana: Gibran Lajud; Luis Fuentes, Julián Velázquez, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Omar Mendoza; Jesús Angulo (Rubio Rubin, 57’), Luis Chávez (Eryc Castillo, 85’), Diego Rodríguez, Ignacio Rivero; Juan Martín Lucero, Erick Torres (Diego González, 77’)
Chivas de Guadalajara: Raúl Gudiño; Edwin Hernández, Carlos Salcedo, Jair Pereira, Josecarlos Van Rankin; Isaác Brizuela, Michael Pérez, Orbelín Pineda, Javier López (José Godínez, 57’); Ángel Zaldívar (Ángel Sepúlveda, 85’), Alan Pulído (Hedgardo Marín, 82’)
