Photo Credit: Club Santos
By Hugo Chavez Barroso
Follow on Twitter: @HugoCarlosChB
Santos Laguna thrashed Club Queretaro 5-0 with a ‘poker’ by Mexican striker Javier ‘Chuletita’ Orozco leaving no speculation for the second leg as to the final destination of the trophy. It now seems that Sunday’s game will be merely a 90 minute procedure to officially have the Guerreros lift its fifth Mexican league trophy.
An impressive fully packed Territorio Santos Modelo (TSM) Stadium, the vast majority of Santos fans, witnessed the first chapter of the Liga MX final which stared an unlikely hero who had suffered a goal drought throughout the regular season.
Coming into this game, Orozco had only scored two goals in all of Clausura 2015. One in the final matchday of the regular season and one in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Santos came in aggressively and it quickly paid off as ‘Chuletita’ scored five minutes into the game. Nestor Calderon played a clinical through ball to Djaniny Tavares who with an unselfish cool set the ball for Orozco to tap in the first goal of the night. The home side could have scored even earlier as Tavares had a one-on-one with Tiago Volpi, but Queretaro’s keeper managed to stop the shot.
Volpi went on to commit a costly mistake in the 26th minute picking up a ball coming from his own teammate which gave the Guerreros the set piece inside of the box. On a training ground play evidently formulated in Caixinha’s lab, Adrian Aldrete crossed the ball at the height of the penalty spot were Orozco was completely alone to strike a lethal header.
Queretaro’s reaction came with a close range header by Yasser Corona that Agustin Marchesin in spectacular fashion was able to deflect into the cross bar.
Photo: Club Santos
The magical night for Orozco continued after the half hour mark when he completed his ‘hat-trick’. Jose Abella incorporated himself on the right wing and crossed the ball into the box were Djaniny headed the ball into the six-yard box and Orozco was able to beat his marker to strike with his right foot.
For the second half Queretaro manager Victor Manuel Vucetich decided to get Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho out of the bench, but the ‘Jogo-Bonito’ artist was unable to change much as the ‘Chuletita’ showed continued.
Djaniny registered his third assist of the night in the 63rd minute on a counter attack that saw him outrun ‘Gallos’ defender to set another tap-in goal for Orozco who just had to meet the ball for his fourth of the night.
Javier Orozco’s poker was the first for any player in a Mexican league final since Gustavo Napoles did it playing for Chivas Guadalajara back in Verano 1997 season.
Jesus Escoboza escaped on the left blank in the 83rd and crossed the ball for Diego Gonzalez to head the ball at the far post to finish the worst humiliation in a first leg final in the Mexican league.
Santos looks to overcome its own history now as it has never been able to win a final when the second leg is away from home. No team has ever come back after losing by four or more goals in a liguilla’s first leg in any round.
