Wild west: Club Tijuana 0, Veracruz 0

No one likes a draw, however both Tijuana and Veracruz are likely to be disappointed with the 0-0 draw in Estadio Caliente. A total of ten yellow cards were shown, including Diego Chávez picking up a second.

Xolos and Veracruz have very similar styles of play, with both clubs employing a physical high press looking to create turnovers through hard-nosed play and a tenacious work ethic. Neither team was able to establish much in the way of possession early, with both picking up fouls (and getting away with more).

The first shot of the match was a long-distance strike from Cristian Menéndez, that was easily stopped by Gibran Lajud in the 11th minute. A minute later, another strike would whistle just wide of the goal.

Xolos first good chance came in the 36th minute when Nacho Malcorra sent a cross into the box. Miller Bolaños got a head onto it, but it ricocheted off the head of Kristian Álvarez and out for a corner. Xolos would commit a foul on the restart,

Moments later, Bolaños would be sprung on a great ball into the box and as he went up to corral the ball he and Osmar Mares got tangled up a bit. Mares was given the benefit of the doubt, and play continued.

Lajud would be tested a few mintues later, punching out a long range shot. He got tangled up with a Veracruz player but managed to somehow wriggle free and catch a shot on from the punch-out. The sides would go into the half scoreless.

The second half started out much better for Xolos, who immediately went down and tested Édgar Hernández with a shot. In the 51st minute, Bolaños went down again in the box but again had his shouts for a penalty fall on deaf ears. Minutes later, Pantera Bou would rifle a shot just wide of the net. In the 54th, Bou would spring Bolaños on a great run, but Hernández did well to cut down the angle, and Bolaños’ shot went just wide of the net.

Xolos was able to apply decent pressure in the second half, and got some decent chances at goal, however in the 65th minute the game just about descended into anarchy. First, Damián Musto and Alejandro Donatti were shown yellow cards for arguing with the referee in the 65th minute. A minute later, it was Diego Chávez who picked up a second yellow card, while Leandro Velázquez and Cristian Pellerano would both be shown yellows for arguing about the second yellow for Chávez.

When things calmed down, Xolos got right back to pressuring Tiburones, creating several good chances on goal. Pantera Bou had a blast from the top of the box in the 78th minute that Hernández was able to stop. In the 85th minute, Donatti was able to get his head onto a corner kick but it went just wide of the net.

Tijuana had a real opportunity against Tiburones, however even up a man for over 20 minutes they couldn’t manage to score. They’ll need to put this one behind them quickly, as they head to Puebla to face Lobos BUAP on Tuesday. Veracruz will remain on the road, heading east to Monterrey to face Tigres at El Volcán on Tuesday night as well.

Club Tijuana: Gibran Lajud; Damián Pérez, Alejandro Donatti, Joan Carlos Valenzuela, Juan Carlos Núñez (Matías Aguirregaray, 46’); Damián Musto; Victor Malcorra, Joe Corona (Juan Iturbe, 63’), Miller Bolaños, Luis Mendoza (Juan Lucero, 76’) Gustavo Bou, Juan Iturbe

Veracruz: Édgar Hernández; Kristian Álvarez, Guido Milán, Arturo Paganoni, Osmar Mares; Diego Chávez, Cristian Pellerano, Adrián Luna (José Rivas, 57’); Leandro Velázquez (Christian Valdéz, 68’), Daniel Villalva, Cristian Menéndez (Leandro Díaz, 84’)

Scoring: Club Tijuana - None; Veracruz - None

Disciplinary: Club Tijuana - Juan Carlos Núñez (Yellow - 43’), Gustavo Bou (Yellow - 58’), Damián Musto (Yellow - 65’), Alejandro Donatti (Yellow - 65’), Miller Bolaños (Yellow - 89’); Veracruz - Diego Chávez (Yellow - 49’, Red - 67’), Leandro Velázquez (Yellow - 66’), Cristian Pellerano (Yellow - 67’), Daniel Villalva (Yellow - 89’)