Ascenso MX 2018 Apertura Recap: Jornada 1

14 out of the 15 teams in the Ascenso MX kicked off their season over the weekend in a variety of action packed matches. Here’s everything you need to know about Jornada 1 of the second division of Mexican fútbol.

Potros UAEM 3 - 1 Cafetaleros de Tapachula

In the first match of Jornada 1, Potros UAEM hosted Cafetaleros de Tapachula at el Estadio Alberto “Chivo” Córdova. The home side wasted no time in taking the lead in this match. 10 minutes into the game Arrigo gave the hosts the lead and they never looked back. 12 minutes into the second half Ptoros UAEM took a 2-0 nothing lead after Oliver Ortíz deflected a shot into the back of his own net. Tony López added a third for the hosts who would eventually go onto win the game by a 3-1 scoreline. With the 2 goal victory over last season’s Ascenso MX champions, Potros find themselves atop of the standings.

Atlético San Luis 0 - 0 Mineros de Zacatecas

In the second match of the new Ascenso MX season, Atlético de San Luis hosted Miners de Zacatecas at Estadio Alfonso Lastras. There were very few chances for either team to score in a very cage match. Despite having a combined 24 fouls in the match, there was only one card given by the match official. Due to the constant fouls and hard-nosed defenses, the match ended in a goalless draw.

CF Correcaminos 2 - 1 C.A. Zacatepec

Correcaminos played hosts to Zacatepec in one of the more exciting matches of jornada 1. Much of the first half an hour of the match was spent by both teams feeling out their position without creating too many goal scoring opportunities. The, in the 37th minute, Gustavo Ramirez fired a shot home from just inside the area to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes after falling behind, Zacatepec equalized on a goal from Luis Márquez. It looked as though this match was headed for a 1-1 draw until Gustavo Ramirez got onto the ball just outside of the area and fired home to give his team a 2-1 victory over the visitors.

Venados FC 1 - 0 Tampico Madero FC

Venados played host to la Jaiba Brava and made the most out of the experience taking all three points from a rather cagey match. For most of the match it looked like both teams were headed for a 0-0 draw. However, Victor Lojero and Venados had other ideas. Lojero tucked away an 87th minute penalty after a needless foul from a TMFC player to give the hosts a 1-0 lead and eventually the victory.

Cimarrones 2 - 1 Atlante

You wouldn’t normally consider a 2-1 match to be a goal fest, but Jornada 1 of the 2018 Ascenso MX Apertura tournament was a bit short on goals. Thankfully, this matchup between Cimarrones and Atlante in Hermosillo, Sonora had plenty of goals for our viewing pleasure. The team from Hermosillo wasted no time getting onto the scoresheet in this match. In the 6th minute, los CImarrones found themselves on the break. A crisp pass from the left side of the of the area somehow managed to sneak through the box to the feet of ‘Keshu’ López who fired a rocket off of the keeper’s hands and into the back of the net. Both the Atlante defenders and keeper will be disappointed that they didn’t do more to prevent the goal. In the 60th minute, Jairo Velez pulled the visitors level. However, the level scoreline wouldn't last very long as five minutes later a shot from outside of the box deflected off of Gabriel España and found its way into the back of the net. The own goal ended up being the difference as Cimarrones won 2-1.

Celaya 1 - 1 Dorados de Sinaloa

Celaya played hosts to Dorados de Sinaloa in their first match since it was announced that the club no longer qualified for promotion to Liga MX. None of the off the field issues seemed to matter to Celaya as they quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute off of a goal from Kevin Favela. The goal pretty much summed up the poor run of play from Dorados to open the match. The team from Sinaloa really struggled to put together anything offensively with the ball. Miraculously, Dorados were bailed out after being awarded a penalty in the 67th minute as Rodrigo López was sent off for a deliberate handball inside the box. Christhian Javier Báez blasted home a goal from the spot to ensure his team came out of the match with one point.

FC Juárez 1 - 0 Alebrijes Oaxaca

Los Bravos opened up their 2018 aperture campaign with a rematch of the 2017 aperture final in which they heartbreaking lost on penalties to Alebrijes de Oaxaca who at the time were ineligible for promotion to Liga MX. This edition of the always exciting matchup between FC Juárez and Alebrijes was as sloppy as you would expect a Jornada 1 matchup to be. Both teams had a multitude of opportunities to score, but poor touches, errant passes, and horrendously inaccurate shots meant that the score was deadlocked at 0-0 late in the match. The match was also very chippy and featured several questionable calls by the referee who could have easily awarded upwards of six penalties in the match. As a result of the chippy play and numerous fouls, there was an additional six minutes of stoppage time added onto the end of the match. At the very end of stoppage time los Bravos were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area after a hard foul from one of the the last two Alebrijes defenders outside of the area. With the very last kick of the game Lucas Xavier Da Silva snuck his free kick underneath the wall and just past the keeper’s outstretched hands to give FC Juárez the late victory.