Match recap: Santos Laguna 2, Club Tijuana 0

The last time they played at home, Santos Laguna ended a 26 game unbeaten streak. Today, they perhaps started a new unbeaten streak as they downed a listless Tijuana side 2-0 at TSM Corona. Gael Sandoval was the player of the match for Santos, scoring a goal and nearly getting another in a match that was originally scheduled for September 26 but was rescheduled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Tijuana.

Santos came out and applied pressure to Tijuana from the start. Anytime Xolos wound up with the ball they were harried and more often than not forced into making a poor decision. Santos however wasn’t able to do much with the chances they were able to win, so the first 15 minutes seemed like the teams were finding their footing. Santos had a great chance in the 16th when Octavio Rivero found himself one-on-one with Jonathan Orozco, but Rivero’s shot was tipped by the goalkeeper’s shoulder and smashed off of the crossbar out of danger. Santos kept pressuring and in the 22nd minute were rewarded when Tijuana couldn’t clear the ball from the box and Julio Furch hit a touch back toward an onrushing Gael Sandoval, and Sandoval absolutely crushed a half-volley into the back of the net.

Then in the 29th Sandoval hit a shot that looked to be deflected by a Xolos defender that Orozco had to make a diving save on to tip it over the bar. Sandoval would continue to terrorize Xolos when in the 35th minute he was the trailing runner and deflected in a cross from Julio Furch that had some heat on it. Replays showed however that it looked like Vladimir Loroña might have gotten the touch onto the ball instead of Sandoval, and the goal was later taken away and marked as an autogol.

In the second half, Xolos looks a little more animated in possession, but still lacked the ability to do much of anything with the possession thy were given. Santos were more cautious in their offensive approach, but were the much more dangerous of the sides. Tijuana’s first good chance of the night came in the 67th minute but Carlos Acevedo made a good stop on the shot. Then at the other end David Andrade took a shot on goal but Orozco was able to stop it and hang on to it. In the 74th, Adrián Lozano had a shot on goal but the goalkeeper saw it all the way and stopped it easily.

Tijuana had a great chance in the 79th when Jordi Cartizo took a free kick from Acevedo’s right. The ball hit off of a couple of players’ heads en route to Bryan Angulo, and Angulo’s resulting header whistled just wide of the goal. But Xolos just looked out of ideas and uninspired and Santos was more than happy to run the clock down and take their shots when they got them.

Santos will look to start a new streak at home when they host Pachuca on Sunday, October 18. Xolos meanwhile will remain on the road, heading to Aguascalientes to face Necaxa on Friday, October 16.

Santos Laguna: Carlos Acevedo; David Andrade, Matheus Dória, Hugo Rodríguez, Josecarlos Van Rankin; Gael Sandoval (Adrián Lozano, 64’), Alan Cervantes, Fernando Gorriarán, Brayan Garnica (Emilio Orrantia, 70’); Julio Furch, Octavio Rivero (Eduardo Aguirre, 73’)

Club Tijuana: Jonathan Orozco; Aldo Cruz (Jordi Cortizo, 74’), Jordan Silva, Víctor Guzmán, Vladimir Loroña; Kevin Balanta, Christian Rivera (David Barbona, 45’); Mauro Lainez, Edgar López; Fabián Castillo (Jordan Rezabla, 45’); Luís Leal (Clifford Aboagye, 61’)

Scoring: Santos Laguna - Gael Sandoval (22’) Vladimir Loroña (autogol - 35’); Club Tijuana - None

Disciplinary: Santos Laguna - None; Club Tijuana - Vladimir Loroña (Yellow - 54’)