Match recap: Lobos BUAP 3, Club Tijuana 1

The Franky Oviedo era didn’t start the way Xolos wanted, as Tijuana fell to Lobos BUAP thanks to stellar play from Colin Kazim-Richards.

The match started slowly. The intimate confines of the pitch at Estadio Universitario BUAP don’t lend themselves to wide open games with plenty of possession. Instead the play was short and choppy, with plenty of turnovers thanks to hurried passes.

The first good chance of the evening came in the 16th minute when Gustavo Canto would get his head onto a corner kick, forcing Toño Rodríguez to make a diving save to keep Tijuana off of the board.

In the 30th minute, Leonardo Ramos would head a ball on through to Colin Kazim-Richards. Kazim would hit a low shot past Gibran Lajud to put the hosts up.

This would wake the sides up a bit, as both tried to get a goal before the end of the first half. While both goalkeepers were pressed into service on occasion, neither side was able to score before retiring for the halftime break.

After the break, the teams would increase the pace and tempo and the rewards were imminent. In the 49th minute, Luis Chávez hit a cross that Ignacio Rivero blasted past Toño Rodríguez to draw Xolos level.

Not even a full minute later though Lobos would answer when Kazim-Richards would outrace Luis Fuentes to a pass from Leonardo Ramos and poke it past Lajud for his second of the night.

Both sides kept the pressure up, hitting shots that would whistle just wide into the signage behind the goal or forcing the goalkeeper to make saves on.

Into stoppage time, Mauro Laínez would hit a tight-angle shot past Lajud to give Lobos the 3-1 lead. In his excitement, he ripped off his shirt which earned him a second yellow card on the evening.

Lobos will head to Estadio Azteca to face Cruz Azul on Saturday, while Tijuana will host Monarcas Morelia on Saturday as well.

Lobos BUAP: Antonio Rodríguez; Aldo Cruz, Francisco Rodríguez, Michael Orozco, Félix Crisanto; Bryan Rabello, Abraham González, Jordan Sierra (Joaquín Esquivel, 75’), Michaell Chirinos; Leonardo Ramos, Colin Kazim-Richards (Mauro Laínez, 75’)

Club Tijuana: Gibran Lajud; Luis Fuentes, Gustavo Canto, Julián Velázquez, Luis Martínez (Diego González, 46’), Ignacio Rivero; Luis Chávez (Rubio Rubín, 60’) , Diego Rodríguez; Jesús Angulo (Juan Martín Lucero, 70’), Miller Bolaños, Eryc Castillo

Scoring: Lobos BUAP - Colin Kazim-Richards (30’, 50’); Club Tijuana - Ignacio Rivero (49’)

Disciplinary: Lobos BUAP - Michaell Chirinos (Yellow - 5’), Bryan Rabello (Yellow - 85’), Mauro Laínez (Yellow - 89’, 90+2); Club Tijuana - Diego Rodríguez (Yellow - 32’), Julián Velázquez (Yellow - 38’), Miller Bolaños (Yellow - 85’)