Match recap: Toluca 2, Tijuana 0

Tijuana had an opportunity to get a win against a floundering Toluca team, but an own goal and a red card saw Los Diablos Rojos get their first win of the season against Xolos.

Toluca would get on the board in the seventh minute when Felipe Pardo made a run down the right wing and hit a hopeful cross that Diego Braghieri attempted to clear but mis-hit, sending it on net past Gibran Lajud instead.

Tijuana would seem to wake up, and in the minute following Miller Bolaños would drive down the field and this a hard shot from distance that goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera was forced to make a diving save on. Ariel Nahuelpán would also get a look from distance in the 23rd minute but the shot went over the goal.

Toluca did very well to keep pressure on Tijuana while the ball was in the Toluca end. This forced several Xolos turnovers and didn’t allow Tijuana to really threaten.

In the 58th minute, Camilo Sanvezzo was shown a yellow card for a hard foul on Fernando Tobio. Upon a VAR review, the yellow was waved off and Sanvezzo was shown a straight red card.

In the 66th, Bolaños hit a free kick from distance that Talavera made a diving stop on. Three minutes later, Emmanuel Gigliotti made a run in on goal but shanked his shot into the stands. In the 76th, Alexis Canelo would tack on another when Pardo took a free kick and Canelo made a run, getting his head onto the ball a split-second before Lajud could get to it.

From there, Toluca was able to slow-walk the remainder of the game, taking every opportunity to kill as much time as possible and not allow Xolos to gain any momentum.

Toluca will head to Aguascalientes to face Necaxa on Wednesday, while Tijuana returns to Baja California to host Cruz Azul on Wednesday.

Toluca: Alfredo Talavera; Anibal Chalá, Omar Tobio, Jonatan Maidana, Luis Hernández, Richard Ruiz; Federico Mancuello (Antonio Ríos, 65’), William Da Silva; Diego Rigonato (Alexis Canelo,69’), Emmanuel Gigliotti, Felipe Pardo

Tijuana: Gibran Lajud; Luis Fuentes (Omar Mendoza, 69’), Diego Braghieri, Julián Velázquez, Vladimir Loroña; Washington Camacho (Mauro Lainez, 56’), Ignacio Rivero, Kevin Balanta, Miller Bolanos (Ángel Sepúlveda, 85’); Camilo Sanvezzo, Ariel Nahuelpán (Ángel Sepúlveda, 85’)

Scoring: Toluca - Diego Braghieri (7’ - autogol), Alexis Canelo (76’); Tijuana - None

Disciplinary: Toluca - Diego Rigonato (Yellow - 31’), Jonatan Maidana (Yellow - 61’), Richard Ruíz (Yellow - 70’); Tijuana - Vladimir Loroña (Yellow - 48’), Camilo Sanvezzo (Red - 60’), Luis Fuentes (Yellow - 66’), Miller Bolaños (Yellow - 72’), Ignacio Rivero (Yellow - 90+1’)