Match recap: Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 3, Santos Laguna 3

Just when it looked like Santos was going to lose on the road, they got a goal from an unlikely source to salvage a draw. Carlos Acevedo was the hero stopping shots and getting a game winning goal, ensuring his already mythic figure continues to grow.

Gallos immediately took the ball down the field, and Rodrigo López put a shot on frame that forced Santos goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo to make a stop on just 20 second into the match. Santos quickly regained their composure and started pressuring the home side. In the second minute a nice cross into the area forced Washington Agurerre to make a diving punch at the ball, but it was knocked only as far as Juan Brunetta. Brunetta however rocketed a shot off of the crossbar and the defense was able to clear out the danger. In the 10th minute, Acevedo had to put a touch on a shot from distance to put it up and over the bar. A minute later at the other end, Fernando Gorriarán uncorked a shot that whistled just wide of the post.

In the 18th minute Querétaro started pressuring Santos, and a minute later Ettson Ayón had a shot on goal but it went straight to Carlos Acevedo, who knocked it away. Acevedo made another spectacular savein the 23rd minute to keep the game scoreless. A minute later Harold Preciado got the ball about 25 yards out, turned, and fired a shot past a diving Aguerre for the game’s first goal.

It wouldn’t take long however for Querétaro to equalize. In the 30th minute, Omar Mendoza hit a fantastic cross to Ángel Sepúlveda, who floated a header into the back of the net despite a good attempt by Acevedo to swat it out.

With the game knotted again, both teams settled into a bit of a rhythm, creating chances while leaving enough players behind defensively so as to not concede numbers on a counterattack. In the 42nd minute a miscommunication between Jordan Silva and Aguerre let a Brunetta get a touch with an open net in front of him, but the ball took a weird hop and went back to Silva, who cleared it out. Then in the 44th minute Juan Bautista Romagnoli got a cross in the box and headed it. It took a deflection off of Omar Campos’ knee and went in past Acevedo to give the hosts the lead.

Santos made a pair of changes to start the second half, and it paid dividends almost immediately. Leo Suárez, who came on for Javier Medina, drove down and hit a rocket from outside of the box that beat Aguerre to tie the match.

With the shadows creeping across the pitch of the empty stadium, Santos began to take control of the match. They brought on more reinforcements in the 54th minute, getting fresh legs on the pitch and perhaps looking to reserve some of the team’s starters for their match Wednesday against América. Santos kept large swaths of possession, but had trouble finding the final ball in to get the winning goal. Gallos meanwhile did well to leave players back and not concede cheap goals.

The tide of the match eventually changed however. Querétaro had a decent chance in the 70th minute when a shot from the wing by Romagnoli went just over the bar. Then in the 73rd minute Querétaro hit Santos on the counter, and Ettson Ayón got onto a great ball into the box and hit a shot. Acevedo made a fantastic save, but the rebound went right to Ayón for the tap in goal.

Santos did well to not lose momentum, but Gallos played well, taking their time in possession and keeping players back to try and hold onto the lead. Just when it looked like Santos was going to lose the match, they won a corner kick in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Cecilio Domínguez’ kick went into the mixer and was deflected over to Carlos Acevedo, who headed it in to salvage the road point for Los Guerreros.

Querétaro will travel to Guanajuato to face León on Sunday, September 18 while Santos heads to México City to face América on Wednesday, September 14 before returning home for a Sunday, September 18 match against Juárez.

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro: Washington Aguerre; Omar Mendoza, Kevin Balanta, Jordan Silva, Gabriel Rojas (Erik Vera, 87’); Juan Bautista Romagnoli (Clifford Aboagye, 71’), Rodrigo López (Kevin Escamilla, 67’), Mario Osuna (Jorge Hernández, 67’), Pablo Barrera; Ángel Sepúlveda (José Angulo, 87’), Ettson Ayón

Santos Laguna: Carlos Acevedo; Carlos Orrantia, Hugo Rodríguez, Roni Prieto, Omar Campos (Rivaldo Lozano, 46’); Javier Medina (Leo Suárez, 46’), Alan Cervantes, Fernando Gorriarán, Juan Brunetta (José Ávila, 80’); Eduardo Aguirre (Cecilio Domínguez, 54’), Harold Preciado (Javier Correa, 53’)

Scoring: Gallos Blancos de Querétaro - Ángel Sepúlveda (30’), Juan Bautista Romagnoli (44’), Ettson Ayón (73’); Santos Laguna - Harold Preciado (24’), Leo Suárez (48’), Carlos Acevedo (90+9’)

Disciplinary: Gallos Blancos de Querétaro - Kevin Balanta (Yellow - 35’), Ángel Sepúlveda (Yellow - 76’); Santos Laguna - Roni Prieto (Yellow - 57’), Fernando Gorriarán (Yellow - 82’)