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What a week. After the first night of play, it was exciting to see all of the people who are not usually into Liga MX Femenil paying attention to Jaquelín García’s ridiculous goal. By the end of the week, those people were also talking about the league in a far more negative light due to the incident in Aguascalientes. The real shame of it all is that there was much more to the week than these moments.
Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 4, FC Juárez 0: Querétaro puts in another solid performance, downing Juárez 4-0 to bring their unbeaten streak to three. Mayra Santana converted a two-on-one opportunity in the 28th minute, and then Jaquelín García hit what could be the goal of the year with a chilena from inside the box. Later in the 78th minute María Ramírez got free in the box and hit a shot past Diana García to put the game out of reach. Leidy Ramos picked up her second goal of the season in the 87th minute, capitalizing on several mistakes by the Juárez defense.
#ElResumen ▶️ Gran Tarde Para Gallos Blancos. @GallosFemenil 4️⃣-0️⃣ @FemenilFcJuarez
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 21, 2021
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/YhJchNaJq8
Cruz Azul 0, Tigres UANL 3: Tigres continues to roll, downing a floundering Cruz Azul 3-0. Katty Martínez broke through in the 22nd minute with a shot from distance that goalkeeper Itzayana Gonzalez couldn’t get to. Gonzalez did get a hand to a Belén Cruz shot in the 36th, tipping the slow-roller just to the outside of the post to deny the goal. Cruz wouldn’t be denied for long however, getting onto the end of a wonderful cross from Jackie Ovalle to double the lead in the 47th minute. Then three minutes later Cruz returned the favor to Ovalle, hitting a cross from the right that Ovalle knocked into the back of the net. Tigres remain perfect on the season, while Cruz Azul remain in ninth place.
#ElResumen ▶️ Sigue el Dominio Felino en el Torneo
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 21, 2021
@AzulFemenil 0️⃣-3️⃣ @TigresFemenil
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/6ND5bsuPN9
Atlas 0, UNAM Pumas 0: A defensive battle that saw both teams get opportunities and fail to convert on them. Pumas had a great chance in the 40th minute but Fabiola Santamaría’s header went just wide of the post. Atlas’ best chance came in the 72nd when Zellyka Arce’s shot from inside the box hit the post and the shot off of the rebound was blocked by a Pumas defender. Both teams really needed a win here, Atlas to strengthen their Liguilla position and Pumas to help get them out of the bottom third of the table.
#ElResumen ▶️ ¡¡Igualada en el Estadio Jalisco!!
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 23, 2021
@AtlasFCFemenil 0️⃣-0️⃣ @PumasMXFemenil
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/65GDDVx5r3
Necaxa 1, Puebla F.C. 0: A late goal from Fanny Grano gave Necaxa their first win of the year, but this game was marred by a full-out brawl at the end of the match. I’ll get more into this in the “Notes and other things” section, but this one will have repercussions for a long time.
#ElResumen ▶️ Necaxa Ganó Por Vez Primera en el Torneo
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 24, 2021
@NecaxaFemenil 1️⃣-0️⃣ @ClubPueblaFem
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/YJD6l8vn8B
América 4, Club Atlético de San Luis 0: América continues to shine, downing San Luis 4-0. After a scoreless first half, Dani Espinosa scored 16 seconds into the second half, getting a touch on a cross into the box. Then in the 55th Casandra Cuevas hit a rocket from 20 yards out to double the lead. Mayra Pelayo got her first goal of the season in the 84th when she capitalized on a defensive breakdown by San Luis, and Dani Flores rounded out the scoring in the 87th with a header. América now sits in fourth place while San Luis is in 14th with four points.
| GOLAZO de @Cass9721 para repetirlo una y otra vez ¡DALE AME! #EstoEsAmérica pic.twitter.com/7DLMT7kvVi
— Club América Femenil (@AmericaFemenil) August 24, 2021
León 1, Santos Laguna 6: A game that highlights both how bad León are this season and how good Santos has become. Alexia Villenueva, Brenda López, Alexxandra Ramírez, and Cinthya Peraza all had goals before the first half ended, with Paleta Gómez and Peraza each adding one in the second. Daniela Calderón picked up the lone goal for León, who sit in 13th place with just four points.
¡ !#ModoGuerrero⚔️ pic.twitter.com/i2pLqce7YC
— Club Santos Femenil (@ClubSantosFem) August 24, 2021
Monterrey 2, Toluca 0: Toluca didn’t play poorly, but Monterrey was firing on all cylinders and were able to do what needed to be done to get the win. 12 minutes in Diana Evangelista got the first goal of the match on a nice flick from Daniela Solís, shooting hard enough to make it past Daniela Lozano. Then in the 24th it looked like Diana García had scored, but she was correctly ruled offside and the goal was waved off. In the 32nd, Desirée Monsiváis and Lozano collided while going for a ball in the box. Referee Katia García stopped play to allow Lozano to be tended to, and then awarded Rayadas the penalty. While replays showed it was a pretty clear penalty, Toluca players were upset that it was awarded so long after the play when there is no VAR in the league. Regardless, Monsiváis stepped up and converted for her 98th career goal in Liga MX Femenil. In the 52nd a penalty could have been awarded to Monterrey on what looked like a foul in the box on Aylín Aviléz, but García kept her whistle to herself on this occasion. Toluca’s best chance came in the 72nd minute when a defensive breakdown forced Alex Godínez to come off of her line and push a ball away from two attackers in the box. Credit should be given to Lozano, who made several saves throughout the game to keep her team in it, but it was Monterrey’s night as they remain in third place.
#ElResumen ▶️ Rayadas Ganó en Casa y se Mantienen Invictas en el Torneo
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 24, 2021
@Rayadas 2️⃣-0️⃣ @TolucaFemenil
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/w2aKElX7R6
Mazatlán FC 3, Pachuca 3: A tale of two halves as Mazatlán was up 3-0 before Pachuca roared back in the second half to grab the draw. Belkis Escalante got her second career goal and first of the season in the 11th minute on a shot from the top of the box. Then in the 34th, Yahaira Flores hit a free kick that Esthefanny Barreras could only tip as it went into the back of the net. A minute before the half ended, Norma Gaitán’s header off of a corner kick looked to have sealed the rout. But Pachuca got an opening in the 60th minute when they were awarded a penalty. Viridiana Salazar converted to draw one back for Las Tuzas, Alice Soto pulled Pachuca within one in the 80th minute on a golazo from well outside of the box, and then five minutes later Sofía Martínez got to a poor clearance and hit it through traffic for the equalizer. Las Cañoneras are still at the bottom of the table despite getting their first point of the year, while Pachuca is still close to that eighth spot, in 12th place but just three points out.
#ElResumen ▶️ Partido de Locura en 'El Kraken'
— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) August 25, 2021
@MazatlanFem 3️⃣-3️⃣ @TuzosFemenil
Jornada 6 #GritaMéxicoA21#VamosPorEllas ⚽ #CreandoOportunidades#PorLaEducación pic.twitter.com/uLCinHe7wu
Club Tijuana 0, Guadalajara 1: A good game between both teams that could have gone either way. Both Celeste Espino and Itzel González had good games in goal, however it was Licha Cervantes converting a penalty in the 29th that was the difference. González stopped a penalty in the 65th to keep Tijuana in it but Espino was able to get her third clean sheet of the season as Chivas keeps pace with Tigres, just two points behind the league leaders.
⚪️ ¡GRÍTALO Y FESTÉJALO, ROJIBLANCO! ⚪️
— Chivas Femenil (@ChivasFemenil) August 24, 2021
¡@LichaCervantes puso el primero en la frontera!
@FOXSportsMX pic.twitter.com/x959zBvYxy
Notes and other things:
The fight that occurred at the end of the Necaxa vs. Puebla match is a stain on the league, but hopefully it can be used to spur changes that will dramatically decrease the likelihood of something like it happening again. It also made everyone forget the magic in Jaquelín García’s goal, which would not shock me if it was nominated for the Puskás Award. For me, this ugly incident serves as further confirmation that there needs to be greater investment into the league at multiple levels.
Players who are paid more would be much less likely to endanger their livelihood by engaging in violent behavior. Players who don’t have to take an eight-to-nine hour bus ride to their game are more likely to be in a better frame of mind and also less likely to endanger their livelihoods. Referees who are better trained don’t allow things to escalate to a point where they lose control. VAR infrastructure also allows referees to make better calls and in turn help keep players from ratcheting up things instead of de-escalating situations.
The league is still the best in North America in my opinion, and these investments will only help improve its stature both on- and off-the-field.
It will be interesting to see if Puebla’s social media team faces any sanctions for this tweet, openly criticizing the refereeing in the match.
90+6' El pésimo arbitraje genera una confrontación de las jugadoras en la cancha.@fut_joe se fue expulsada.#LaFranjaQueNosUne
— Club Puebla Femenil (@ClubPueblaFem) August 23, 2021
Its definitely a line to be walked, but in context the tweet was perhaps the least offensive part of the entire situation. Puebla's social media team is also one of the best, and I’d hate to see their creativity curtailed because of this situation.
Speaking of claiming the league is the best in North America, the Women’s International Challenge Cup (WICC) happened by his past week. Four teams (Portland Thorns, FC Barcelona, Houston Dash, and Lyon) competed for the title, but it seems pretty disingenuous to claim a world anything when only three countries on two continents are included.
Of course this tournament should not take the place of a FIFA sanctioned Women’s Club World Cup, but it still smacks a bit of racism exclusivity when rumored expansion plans for the WICC will only include more NWSL and UEFA teams.
Even Liga MX Femenil’s social media manager watches less-than-legal streams. One of us! One of us!
The Campeonato Brasileiro semifinals start this week, with Corinthians and Ferroviária in one bracket and Palmeiras and Gurias Coloradas in the other. I’ve thought Corinthians are one of the best sides in the world, and another win of the Brasileiro would further cement that.
Estão definidas as datas, os locais e os horários das semifinais do Campeonato Brasileiro. Começamos a disputa já neste domingo, às 20h, em Araraquara. A decisão da vaga será uma semana depois, também às 20h, na Arena Barueri.
— Corinthians Futebol Feminino (@SCCPFutFeminino) August 25, 2021
A transmissão dos dois jogos será da @BandTV pic.twitter.com/xf7KI780sl
It turns out México won’t punish the women’s national team for fans of the men’s national team’s insistence on using a homophobic slur.
NEWS
— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) August 25, 2021
Our sanction to play behind closed doors has been reduced by FIFA to only one match. ⚽
Our WNT won't be affected. #PasiónyOrgullo | #FMFporNuestroFútbol https://t.co/7aS2r0setH
Colo-Colo is one of the biggest clubs in Chile, and it’s cool to see their passionate fans showing up like this for their femenino team on the road.
Fans welcome Colo-Colo women in the south of Chile like this !!
— Alex Ibaceta (@alexibaceta23) August 22, 2021
There’s been so much growth in women’s football over the last few years in Chile, this is amazing to see
I got emotional watching this, I can only imagine how the players felt https://t.co/0z45ZTHIy9
The Afghanistan women’s national team was evacuated from the country.
I’ll leave you with this moment of joy.
La médica gritando el gol es foto más linda que haya dado el fútbol argentino en mucho tiempo. pic.twitter.com/U3Rh8bl0RT
— Ezequiel Boetti (@ezequielboetti) August 23, 2021
If you have something that should be included in this segment, please reach out to me via twitter or email me at golazodelgringo@gmail.com
Next week (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):
Saturday, August 28:
Atlas (3-2-1) vs. Monterrey (5-1-0) - 12:00 PM - TVC Deportes (Mexico)
UNAM Pumas (0-3-3) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (1-3-2) - 12:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)
Sunday, August 29:
Guadalajara (5-1-0) vs. Mazatlán FC (0-1-5) - 10:30 AM - Telemundo Deportes App, CHIVASTV
Club Atlético de San Luis (1-1-4) vs. Club Tijuana (2-3-1) 5:00 PM - ESPN (Mexico)
Monday, August 30:
Necaxa (1-1-4) vs. América (5-0-1) - 5:00 PM - TUDN (Mexico)
Pachuca (1-3-2) vs. Puebla F.C. (3-0-3) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)
Tigres UANL (6-0-0) vs. Toluca (2-1-3) - 7:00 PM - TUDN (United States and Mexico)
Santos Laguna (3-2-1) vs. Cruz Azul (2-2-2) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), ESPN Deportes (United States)
FC Juárez (0-1-5) vs. León (1-1-4) - 9:00 PM - TUDN United States and Mexico)