Morelia hold on for win against wasteful Chivas

Morelia continued their winning ways since Pablo Guede took over, taking three points from a Chivas team who looked the better team but failed to convert their many chances after a controversial first half in which a dubious penalty call gave them their goal.

The game started with a very even match between both sides. It took almost 20 minutes for the game to get going, and it was Chivas who came close with a header from Gilberto Sepulveda. Chivas had it’s best chance when a cross in the area found Alan Pulido, who took a shot that Morelia’s keeper Sebastian Sosa stopped.

Morelia’s first opportunity was the closest however, when Chivas keeper Raul Gudiño stopped the ball but left it for Fernando Aristeguieta, whose shot got blocked by a defender. The referee went to VAR and judged that Antonio Briseño had handled the cross that turned into a shot that Gudiño stopped. In controversial fashion, he gave the penalty kick and Mario Osuna converted for the 1-0.

Minutes later, this time in the Chivas area, the ball looked to have been handled, but after the ref went to VAR, he decided not to give a penalty as Chivas players protested. Chivas came close off a free kick to get the tying goal but once again Sosa made a good save. The halftime whistle blew and Chivas fans went to halftime feeling cheated.

Just like the first half, the second half had both teams even and taking until the middle of the half to wake up. Also just like the first half, it was Chivas who had the best opportunities. After a cross, Jesus Molina had a wide open header but it went wide. Then off a corner kick, Morelia had their best chance when Edison Flores took a ball and took it to Gudiño before crossing it to Jose “Shaggy” Martinez, who just failed to get to it. Had he done so, he would have had an open net to score on.

The chance would be Morelia’s last clear opportunity in the game. After that it was Chivas who took control of the game. First, Javier Lopez came close to scoring with a long range shot that just went wide. Then, Chivas’ best opportunity came when Miguel Angel Ponce got a ball in the area and only had to place it past Sosa, who made a great one handed save. The save was definitely a great one, but Ponce should’ve done better as he was alone in the area and had all the space to place it past Sosa. Chivas continued to dominate but they never had an opportunity as clear as that and Morelia held on for the 1-0 win.

Chivas might have felt they deserved better, and the controversial penalty call might give a lot of people something to talk about. That said, they had the opportunities to score and the lack of goal is on them. In fact, Chivas had most of the possession against a Morelia team that sat back. This, of course, is bad news for a Chivas team facing two key games, especially the Superclasico next Saturday against America.

Morelia, meanwhile, gets a result but their performance wasn’t as good. They might even be considered lucky, although Sosa had a great performance at goalkeeper. Morelia are still undefeated since Guede became their head coach, but they must improve if they are going to continue undefeated after their Tijuana visit, with the benefit that they will be resting next weekend.