Chivas took home all three points in a triumphant 1-0 visit against Veracruz at the Estadio Luis 'Pirata' Fuente on Friday night for the eleventh match date of the 2016 Apertura.
Matías Almeyda went with consistency as he opted to go with the same starting eleven for this encounter as he did for the 1-0 home loss against Tigres. Similar to that clash, Almeyda’s men had the advantage in tempo. El Rebaño dominated possession and created more opportunities, but entered halftime without a goal.
The best first half opportunity for Chivas presented itself when Isaác Brizuela played off some quick passing to force a save from Tiburones’ keeper Melitón Hernández. Chivas facilitated their dominance via superior midfield play. An example of this was when in the 15th minute Orbelín Pineda lost the ball and Michael Pérez almost immediately recovered it from the opposition. The play that followed was Brizuela’s aforementioned shot.
As solid as the midfield was for Chivas, Veracruz had their share of menacing opportunities in the second half. The troubling was how Chivas defended these plays. Salcido was losing contested balls and Hedgardo Marín was too off in positioning to make much of a difference. Instead, players like Carlos Cisneros and Jesús Sánchez had to backtrack in a commendable effort to save their side.
While Alan Pulido struggled up front, Chivas kept creating opportunities and had persistence pay off in the 78th minute with substitute Nestor Calderón heading in a Jesús Sánchez cross for the 1-0 advantage.
The victory keeps el Rebaño in contention for the Liguilla as they prepare for a Tuesday night match against Morelia at the Estadio José Maria Morelos y Pavón on September 27th.
Rodolfo Cota: 7
Hedgardo Marín: 5
Carlos Salcido: 4
Edwin Hernández: 6
Jesús Sánchez: 8
Orbelín Pineda: 6.5
Ángel Zaldívar: 6
Carlos Cisneros: 7
Isaác Brizuela: 6.5
Michael Pérez: 7
Alan Pulido: 5.5
Substitutes:
Jair Pereira: 6
Nestor Calderón: 7.5
Javier López: 7