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Puebla's Sanchez Sola: Reality Exceeded Expectations
Puebla expected to compete with Monterrey in the quarterfinal opener but instead the club scored a convincing 3-1 rout over los Rayados on Wednesday.
May 14, 2009 10:01:47 AM
Whatever emotion fueled him, Puebla manager Jose Luis Sanchez Sola was excited for his team's 3-1 victory over Monterrey as Puebla have a foot in the semifinal round.
"This attitude is what my players have had during the entire season," Sanchez Sola said. "What happens is that now we've been able to convert that into good football for longer stretches of time."
Puebla's dominant stretch on Wednesday was for nearly 90 minutes as the club scored twice in the first six minutes and finished the match with an high amount of pressure on Monterrey's goal.
The game was a bit of a contrast from their regular-season home performances, as Puebla had just two victories in eight games at Estadio Cuauhtemoc this season.
"With this win, we gave our supporters a win we've owed them," Sanchez Sola said. "The truth is that Puebla are an honorable participant in the Liguilla. It was a great game, and the reality exceeded our expectations."
But their manner was clearly different from the start as Puebla hit on all cylinders early on. Supporters were loud throughout the match, which was also different from the closed-door stadiums that have been prevalent in the league in recent weeks due to the H1N1 flu outbreak.
Aside from a few surgical masks in the stands, though, the virus seemed far from the supporters' minds.
Sanchez Sola said his club put on a good show.
"These are the types of games people like to see," he said. "The atmosphere was good and we're participating in a fiesta... We don't have that tension we felt with relegation and we feel like we're just having a welcome cocktail."
Puebla now head to Monterrey with a two-goal aggregate lead. Coupled with a change in the club's financial situation, which led the manager to threaten to leave recently, and los Camoteros seemingly have all the confidence they could hope for.
"We're not going with overconfidence," Sanchez Sola said. "We want more and more, and management (Thursday) will pay us for May and the prizes and all of that also serves as motivation for this great group."
Goal.com
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