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Mancilla: No Easy Rivals At This Point
Toluca are in the semifinals of the Liguilla and do not expect to face anything simple in the postseason, as San Luis proved in the quarterfinals.
Nov 30, 2009 12:03:24 PM
While los Diablos are where they expected to be all along - in the semifinals, eyeing a spot in the final - players said they must not think too much about the next phase.
"We're going step by step and we want to be champions," Hector Raul Mancilla said in a press conference. "We're aware that the first thing we need to do now is to think about the semifinals."
Toluca did well to escape their quarterfinal series against San Luis relatively unscathed. The club beat San Luis 1-0 on Sunday to eliminate los Gladiadores from the playoffs. Toluca, though, were shut out in the first leg, just the second time in the Apertura 2009 season that Toluca failed to score a goal. Mancilla said, however, his team was not concerned about getting shut out twice in a row.
"It was complicated but we knew that the goal could fall at anytime. In the end we got it and we are in the semifinals," he said.
Toluca finished the regular season with 35 points and will have home-field advantage in their semifinal series against Monterrey. Reaching the semifinal round is a just reward for Toluca but the players are looking to further their campaign to the next round.
They are also looking to extend their fortune as well. Late in the second leg against San Luis, Toluca were the beneficiaries of a post. Victor Hugo Lojero rattled a shot off the post in second-half stoppage time that could have knocked Toluca out of the playoffs.
"We're fine, well prepared. It took time for us to score but the team is aware of the responsibility of winning the championship," Mancilla said. "We've had some fortune so we hope it continues."
While Monterrey present challenges, they are no different than San Luis.
"We know any team we face is going to be difficult," Mancilla said. "They are rivals who let you play, play well themselves, rivals who attack but really any team we face we will try to do our best against."
Goal.com
For more coverage of the Mexican league playoffs, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.
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