By: Jonny Rico
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Club Tijuana is back at the top of the league table following its 2-0 win over CF Monterrey on Friday night at Estadio Caliente. The Xolos are back to winning ways after they suffered a loss at home to Club Necaxa and a draw on the road to Pumas UNAM in Week 6 and 7 respectively.
Manager Miguel Herrera is usually very consistent with his lineups and formations. But on Friday he made one change to the regular starting lineup as well as big formation change. Argentine forward Martin Lucero was awarded his first start of the season and as winger Paul Arriola was sent to the sub’s bench.
The inclusion of Lucero into the starting XI meant that the Xolos would change their standard 5-3-2 formation into a 4-3-3 with Lucero and Colombian forward Aviles Hurtado roaming around the central striker Milton Caraglio.
Lucero, who joined Club Tijuana during the winter transfer window from the Malaysian league, did not waste his opportunity in the starting lineup. The Argentine attacker opened the scoring for the home side in the 17th minute when he anticipated the Monterrey defense to poke a low Malcorra cross from the left hand side. Malcorra added the second goal of the night with a pin-point free kick from about 20-yards away in the second half. The left-footed shot by the Argentine midfielder sailed over the wall and into the top corner of the Monterrey goal.
“We weren’t able to properly set up in this field. The field was too wet and we never got comfortable,” said CF Monterrey manager, and former Tijuana manager Antonio ‘Turco’ Mohamed in his post game news conference. “We weren’t able to get shots on target which is one of our strong suits.”
Visiting Monterrey were unable to get a single shot on on goal all game long and eventually fell for the first time in 17 official matches. “They outplayed us in every aspect. They were better than us today.”
Photo Credit: Itzel Segura / Prost Amerika
Tijuana Xolos manager had plenty of praise for the Man of the Match, Ignacio Malcorra after the midfielder ended the match with a goal and an assists.
“Of the players that we brought in I think ‘Nacho’ (Ignacio Malcorra) was the one who had the most difficulty adapting to Mexican soccer. Plus the players up top were playing well together and scoring goals so he lost hi starting spot,” said Herrera during the post-game news conference. “But now he is fully adapted (to Mexican soccer), he knows full well what he needs to do, he dribbles down the wing well, he puts in assists is scoring goals.
“He is a big threat on set piece plays. He has won the respect of the opposition for his set pieces during corner kicks and free kicks and his dribbles down the wing.”
Xolos are back in action next Friday night as they host Pachuca FC in Week 9 action of Liga MX. But before then, Xolos will also hosts second division club Cimarrones FC in Copa MX action on Tuesday evening.
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