Chivas Guadalajara vs. Club America, Liga MX 2018, full time: Thrilling Clasico Nacional ends in 1-1 stalemate

FINAL SCORE, Chivas 1, Club America 1: Chivas finished a good spell of possession in the first half with a Jesus Godinez goal, but Oribe Peralta fired las Aguilas level just four minutes later to keep Club America undefeated in the Torneo Clausura 2018. The result, though, dropped las Aguilas to second in the league table. After an exciting Clasico, both teams will take the field next in a few days, with Club America taking on Tauro and Chivas visiting Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League.

---

Halftime Update: It has been un unforgettable first 45 minutes to this Clasico Nacional. Both teams have had a handful of chances, with both goalkeepers being the busiest of the 22 players on the field.

Chivas capitalized on their early dominance with a 20th minute breakthrough, but just four minutes later, Oribe Peralta produced a magnificent turn and shoot play to draw the score even at the half. Jeremy Menez then had two golden opportunities to give las Aguilas the lead, but Rodolfo Cota denied the frenchman superbly on both occasions.

The big question heading into the second half if both teams can keep this same rhythm of play in what should be another nail-biting second half.

---

Chivas 1, Club America 1: Club America with an almost instant reply! “Don” Oribe Peralta got the best of Oswaldo Alanis with a superb turn to level the score at one goal a piece at the Estadio Akron.

---

Chivas 1, Club America 0: Jesus Godinez fires Chivas into the lead. The ball found it’s way into the youngster after “Chofis” Lopez beat Carlos Vargas in the air. A well deserved opener for the hosts.

---

How to Watch

Date: Saturday, March 3

Time: 7:00pm Pacific, 9:00pm Central, 10:00pm Eastern

Venue: Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

TV: Univision (US - Spanish), Univision Deportes Network (US-Spanish), UnivisionTDN (Mexico), TDN (Mexico), Chivas TV (Mexico)

Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Fanatiz (Free trial + monthly subscription)

Listings via LiveSoccerTV.com

---

Lineups

---

Both rosters come from eliminating their CONCACAF opponents in the Champions League, with Chivas easily dropping Dominican side Cibao FC, 7-0, in two matches. The league has been a much different story for El Rebaño, who still find themselves near the tail-end of the table in 17th place. Still, Matias Almeyda’s side will have to hope for the CCL matches to have given them the confidence they needed to get the ball in the net. Chivas only has 10 goals in nine matches in the league. As they get ready to face the No. 1 team in the Liga, Chivas forward Alan Pulido and midfielder Javier Lopez are both confident that if they stick to the game plan, they can put on a show in front of their home fans, regardless of America’s current dominance.

The Quote of the Game:

Player to Watch: Despite being ostracized from the roster earlier in the season, Oswaldo Alanis has been on a little goalscoring run as of late. Alanis has been the one trusted to take the team’s penalties, scoring two of them in the past two games and adding another goal during Wednesday’s match vs. Cibao. He also missed a game-winning penalty kick in the dying minutes against Pumas last week, which will no doubt motivate him to want to redeem himself on the grandest stage in El Clasico.

Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

Of the two teams coming into the 160th edition of the Super Clásico it is the massively improved Club América that find themselves in better form. Through the first nine match-weeks of the 2018 Clausura tournament las Águilas are undefeated, top of the table, and are leading every team statistical category in Liga MX. Most notably, the offensive struggles that plagued Club América during the 2017 Apertura tournament have been replaced by a high powered offense led by Guido Rodríguez.

Quote of the Game:

Player to Watch: Despite not having the most impressive statistical numbers, Guido Rodríguez has been a real standout for las Águilas during the 2018 Clausura tournament. Club América’s greatly improved offensive output can be largely attributed to the high level of play that Rodríguez has exhibited up to this point in the tournament. When Guido is in the match, las Águilas are able to put on a beautiful display of clinical attacking fútbol. His movement on and off of the ball frees up space for teammates like Mateus Uribe to make a positive impact on the match. Rodríguez’s play could be likened to that of a point guard in basketball. Just about every aspect of the team’s positive offensive display relies on Guido’s dribbling, passing, positioning, or movement in order to be successful. If Guido Rodríguez has a good game, so to will the rest of his Club América teammates.

Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images