Chivas vs. Santos Laguna: Player Ratings

Chivas temporarily moved up to third place in the table with Friday’s 1-0 win against Santos at the Estadio Corona. With both teams taking water breaks to accommodate the scorching climate, it was Carlos Peña’s 54th minute penalty that wound up deciding the match in Chivas’ favor.

Santos entered the game sitting at the sixth spot and now awaits the results of the rest of the weekend’s matches. They struggled to produce scoring opportunities and leave their seeding fate in the hands of the other contenders with their home loss.

Matias Almeyda’s men had some individual defensive lapses but came together as a collective well enough to compensate for a few mistakes. To Santos’ credit, their frequent pressure smothered El Rebaño for most of the game, but Guadalajara’s persistence would pay off when a Carlos Izquierdoz hand ball in the box set up Peña’s penalty. While the initial shot was saved, Peña slotted the rebound into goal for the winner.

With both teams set for the Liguilla, it’s possible they could meet again, but there is still a lot of football to be played in the final Jornada in the Clausura. Here are Chivas’ player ratings for Friday’s match. 

GK, Rodolfo Cota: 7.5
Cota wasn’t called upon too much in this game but was alert and acted well when he was needed. He handled crosses and rare shots in the second half well, including Andrés Rentería’s 93rd minute rocket.

LB, Edwin Hernandez: 6.5
Hernandez did well to close down on attackers early on, but suffered as the game went on. He lost his partner in the 50th minute and got his ankles broken in the 57th minute, forcing a hard foul by Salcedo.

LCB, Carlos Salcedo: 7
Salcedo was almost caught off guard early on with an early cross by Jorge Villafaña, but did well in the 42nd minute to track back and dissolve build-up from Santos after an errant Pineda pass. He was rightfully carded in the 57th minute for getting caught flat-footed and shoulder blocking Luis Mendoza. He took a few hard fouls towards the end of the game and played on, but was beat by Renteria’s agility when he generated a 93rd minute shot.

RCB, Jair Pereira: 7.5
Pereira had to rally back to try to defend a Villafaña cross and cut off an opportunity in the 42nd minute. An overall solid performance was marred by a clumsy foul in the 62nd minute that resulted in a yellow.

RB, Jesus Sanchez: 7.5
Sanchez was a great avenue used to alleviate constant pressure from Santos and start some attacking down the flank. He took plenty of physical punishment and hung in there until the 71st minute when he was stretchered out with what appeared to be a lower back injury. He would return to the pitch quickly to complete the game in a commendable effort.

CDM, Carlos Salcido: 7.5
Salcido worked hard and tracked down loose balls for his side. The veteran was mostly solid after letting Villafaña get past him in an early gaffe.

LCM, Carlos Peña: 8
Peña contributed nicely to build up and fought amidst the Santos defense with mixed results. He was clinical in the 51st minute chance that resulted in a hand ball and kept his composure after having his initial penalty shot blocked to put the visitors ahead on his 54th minute rebound shot. Although he missed a chance to double his team’s lead in the 59th minute, he was arguably Chivas’ best performer on the night.

RCM, Orbelin Pineda: 6
Pineda made a few errant passes before being substituted out in at the half. His worst instance came in the form of a bad pass in the 42nd minute that could’ve been worse had the back line not interfered adequately. He earned a yellow in the 31st minute for arguing a foul with the official.

CF, Ángel Zaldívar: 6.5
Zaldivar worked efficiently given the fact that he hardly had any activity as the first half wore on. When he did have the ball, he produced a few shots at goal prior to being checked out in the 85th minute.

RW, Isaac Brizuela: 7
Brizuela’s first half was very forgettable as he had trouble cracking Santos’ defense. There were a few rushed crosses that missed their target and others that are blocked; His second half performance was much improved as he worked industriously to get up the flank. He was decisive and agile on quick counters once in his second half groove.

LW, Carlos Cisneros: 7
Cisneros was all over the pitch, mixing it up with defenders in front and tracking down balls to win them back. He created a chance in the 48th minute with a low cross and helped his team maintain possession for the remainder of the game. His worst moment, though, came when he missed an opportunity in the 74th minute to double his team’s lead on an unmarked header. He was substituted out in the 85th minute.

Substitutes:

RM, Michael Perez: 7 (on in the 46th minute for Orbelin Pineda)
Perez was very involved in the attack and active against defenders. He was smart in his distribution of the ball, making little to no turnovers. Such play did well to set up Chivas on the attack. He provided a bit more consistency in passing than did the injured Pineda.

F, Omar Bravo: N/A (on in the 85the minute for Ángel Zaldívar)
Bravo saw very little playing time; not quite enough to render a rating.

LW, Javier Lopez: N/A (on in the 85h minute for Carlos Cisneros)
Lopez saw very little playing time; not quite enough to render a rating.