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There was plenty of action last weekend in Mexico’s Liga MX.
Clausura 2015 is proving to be just what soccer fans need during the dead of winter: provider of matches that keep the chills of winter at bay with heated competition and surprises around every corner. That said, Liga MX took a surprising turn this weekend with many matches that changed the landscape of the Clausura table.
Chivas Make A Comeback: Cruz Azul vs. Chivas
It was a good weekend to be a Chivas fan. Disappointment and a lack of high expectations embodied Chivas before this segment of the competition. Fans of the illustrious team were beginning to lose all hope of their team ever challenging for a league title. A return to league title contender status seemed unlikely. The Spanish phrase of “Ya merito” [almost] was an expression constantly used by the fans of Chivas to rationalize why their team was coming up short in matches they should have won. This weekend was an exception to that. Chivas regained some pride in their match against Cruz Azul with one of the greatest comebacks of the season so far.
The match between table-toppers Cruz Azul seemed pretty straightforward after Gerardo Flores Zuniga put La Maquina ahead in the first-half. Another disappointing loss looked just about right for Las Chivas Rayadas. It wasn’t until deep in the 2nd half that Aldo De Nigris instilled hope for Chivas achieving a comeback. With his header in the 80th minute, Chivas had 10 minutes left to achieve the impossible.
Even though Cruz Azul were leaders of the table going into the 7th week of competition, their lack of goals finally proved their undoing. The team had managed to score 5 goals in the competition going into the match with Chivas. Going up 1-0 in the first half was just not enough, and it was Marco Fabian who sealed the comeback. Fabian scored a beauty of a free-kick and, with the win Chivas, moved up to 6th and La Maquina dropped to third.
Will Chivas return to top-form after this win and make a title run - or was this win an exception? On the other side, will La Maquina learn its lesson in attack and manage to not only be strong defensively but offensively so that they make a return to the top of the table?
Mexico City Derby: Pumas vs. America
Photo: CF_America | Twitter
Pumas are just not doing well recently. Going into their derby match with America, Los Felinos lost 3-0 to Tijuana: a disappointing loss that definitely did not instill confidence in the team going into a match with current title holders America. America on the other hand was hoping to build on their success of last week. America had destroyed Chiapas 5-0 and, sure enough, they smelled blood when they faced Pumas. Derby matches are always a great time, regardless of the country. This match proved no different. Even though Pumas aren’t currently at the level of America, they still proved a team hard to contend with. They held America 0-0 going into the 2nd half but America was not to be denied, sealing their win in the 52nd minute of the match with a shot from Dario Benedetto.
The win takes America to 2nd place in the table, right behind Tijuana, while Los Pumas de la UNAM fall to 16th place. America will hope to continue their win streak and form. Don’t be surprised if they win consecutive league titles, considering their new players and coach are still adjusting to their new setting. They are only 2 points behind league leaders Tijuana. All America fans will be rallying behind their team next week. Pumas will hope to get back on track and win a few more games. The team has only managed to win once in seven outings.
Tijuana vs. Leones Negros
While Cruz Azul was misfiring against Chivas, Tijuana took advantage of their slip up and took the top spot in the Clausura table with a 1-0 win against Los Leones Negros.
Tijuana managed to take the lead early on, thanks to Gabriel Hauche’s offensive work. Afterwards, Tijuana sat back and absorbed pressure. It wasn’t an easy win by any means. Los Leones Negros worked hard to not make it 2 losses in a row – having lost to Atlas in Week 6. Try as they might, however, Los Leones Negros just could not finish against Los Xolos. The losing team managed 30 shots while Tijuana managed only 7. Talk about a lack of luck. At least one of those shots should have gone in.
It was indeed a scrappy win for Los Xolos and, after 7 matches, they are sitting pretty right above America in first place. Los Leones Negros on the other hand are in 17th place, right above Morelia, who remain at the bottom of the Clausura table. Tijuana may be at the top of the table but America is fast closing in on them.
Will Los Xolos remain at the top?
Top 5 Of The Clausura Table
Having mentioned the highlights of this weekend’s competition, let’s look at what the top 5 of the Clausura table looks like. In first, Tijuana leads with 16 points, their most recent win against Los Leones Negros giving them a 2 point lead against Cruz Azul and America. America sits in second place, having won against Pumas. Having lost against Chivas, Cruz Azul falls from 1st to 3rd and is hoping for a better result in Week 8. Veracruz maintained their undefeated record in the Clausura, having destroyed Toluca 3-0 in Week 7. Their result against Toluca leaves them in 4th, 3 points behind table-toppers Tijuana. With a win against Santos, Atlas rounds out the top 5 with 13 points, 3 points behind Tijuana as well.
As you can tell, with 3 points separating 1st through 5th, it’s going to be a tough road to the finish for teams at the top. Cruz Azul is an example of how easily a team at the top can slip up. Don’t miss Week 8 of Liga MX’s Clausura.
