Jornada 9 Recap: The Mighty Have Fallen

Chivas finally knocked off and done so by a surprising foe.

Mar 8, 2010 9:42:00 AM

By Sylvestre Adame

Jackson Martinez - Jaguares (Mexsport)
Weekend Results:

Monterrey 3-0 Pachuca
Jaguares 4-0 Chivas
Morelia 2-0 Estudiantes
San Luis 1-2 Cruz Azul
Atlas 1-1 Toluca
Pumas 4-1 Puebla
Indios 0-1 Tigres
Santos 4-2 Atlante
America 6-0 Queretaro

Streak Is Over

It should have been and easy win. It should have been a goal festival. It was supposed to be another notch to the record but it wasn’t meant to be.

Yes the historic run is over. No not Indios’ run that one is still on going. It was the other team the one with 8 wins in a row. Yes Chivas fell to none other than Jaguares.

All signs pointed to another win for Chivas and if you placed your bet on jaguars then you are a very lucky person.

The odds against jaguars were not good going into Saturday’s match. The team from Chiapas sat in last place of group 2 with only 4 points. They had no wins in the tournament and had only managed to score eight goals. The most significant stat of all was that Jaguares had not won at home in about a year but that did not deter David from beating Goliath.


Jaguares have to take a lot credit for this victory not only because they beat the unbeatable but also because of the way they did it. The felines were hungry from the get go and never stepped off the gas. They were on a mission and were willing to leave it all out on the field.  Chivas on the other hand could do nothing not even with the Bicentenarios leading goal scorer.

Jaguares don’t have the best team in the world or even in Mexico. They don’t have much to look forth this season since they are dead last in a group compiled with Liguilla quality teams. They don’t have any titles in the Mexican top flight. Yet they knew that a win over Chivas would for ever engrave their names in history and that’s just what they did.

Aguilas Starting To Take Off

6-0 beating of a team that has been showing some flare in the Bicentenario is not something easy to do. Las Aguilas did it on Sunday as they humiliated Queretaro.

America has gone through the roughest of times this season. What looked to be a prosperous season was abruptly turned up side down with the shooting of their prized striker Salvador Cabañas. The team has struggled since then but has managed to stay in contention for a Liguilla berth.

Jesus Ramirez has dug deeper into the America roster and has found that the team has more talent than once thought. Antonio Lopez showed a great thirst for goal. He scored his first goal in the Mexican league and did not stop there. “Tony” scored two more and assisted with another. He had other chances as well but was unlucky not to get them.

Las Aguilas also let another player make his debut in the maximum circuit. Luis Oscaloaga hit the ground running and showed great control of the ball, great speed and some quick thinking for a player who is only 17 years old.

America seems to have the talent there they showed it against Queretaro but they only seem to have the talent when they play at home.

Las Aguilas are yet to beaten at home this season. They showed another great performance in the first game of the season when they also dismantled San Luis, 5-1. They just lack the ability to win away games. They recently got a win away to Estudiantes but you’d have to be a fool not to believe that they were helped by the referee in that game.

There are those who will also believe that this game against Queretaro was given to America. Carlos Reinoso, manager of Queretaro, was celebrating his birthday on Sunday. Reinoso has always made his affection towards America Public even stating that he wants his ashes spread at the Azteca. He was on the wrong side of the coin for this one and could have very well thrown the game to see his beloved team put on a good show.

What ever the case Reinoso won’t feel too bad about his team’s horrendous loss.

Back In It?

It seems like just yesterday everyone was writing off Cruz Azul and pumas from having any possibilities at a Liguilla berth. That has now changed.

Cruz Azul seems to be on their way back from last seasons form. La Maquina had a very slow start to the season. Emanuel Villa has finally found his stroke scoring in Cruz Azul’s last two games.

The possibility to make the Liguilla looks bright for Cruz Azul. They have two more dangerous teams to face then it should be smooth sailing from there. They currently sit third in group 3 behind Santos and Pumas.

Pumas have only lost twice this season but the ties have killed them. The felines have tied three times this season including once against group rival Cruz Azul. Pumas have kicked it into another level though. They’ve scored 7 goals in the last three games.

Pumas have a difficult schedule coming up. America, Chivas, Monterrey, Morelia and Santos are coming up. These games could prove to be devastating to Pumas’ hopes for a Liguilla spot. They will get a win against one of those teams but will fall short of the Liguilla this time.

Stacking Up

Game                             Goal.com Prediction               Actual Score

Monterrey - Pachuca - Pick: Monterrey, 3-1; Actual: Monterrey, 3-0

Jaguares - Chivas -Pick: Chivas, 1-0; Actual: Jaguares, 4-0

Morelia - Estudiantes - Pick: Morelia, 3-1; Actual: Morelia 2-0

San Luis - Cruz Azul - Pick: Cruz Azul, 2-1; Actual: Cruz Azul, 2-1

Atlas - Toluca - Pick: Toluca, 1-0; Actual: Draw, 1-1

Pumas - Puebla -Pick: Draw, 1-1; Actual: Pumas, 4-1

Indios - Tigres -Pick: Draw, 1-1; Actual: Tigres, 1-0

Santos - Atlante -Pick: Santos, 1-0; Actual: Santos, 4-2

America - Queretaro - Pick: Queretaro, 1-0; Actual: America, 6-0

Score: 44% - Like somebody really picked Jaguares to win.

Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Hot

1. Jaguares - destroyed the best team in the league.

2. America - Aguilas 6 times better than Gallos.

3. Antonio Lopez- Hat Trick to start of his scoring account, nice.

4. Monterrey - 7 straight games without being defeated.

5. Santos - 6 straight and no sign of losing.

Not

1. Indios - Could have won against A terrible Tigres team but why stop the streak there?

2. Carlos Reinoso - Got a red card for his birth day.

3. Puebla - Used to do better when Chelis got in trouble

4. Atlante - If Vergara were in charge he would have sacked Jose Guadalupe Cruz 8 times by now.

5. Pachuca - Get Ojitos back !

Best XI

GK: Mario Rodriguez (Estudiantes)

DEF: Hector Morales (Monterrey), Marvin Cabrera (Morelia), Javier Gandolfi (Jaguares), Fernando Ortiz (Tigres)

MID: Angel Reyna (America), Adolfo Rosinei (America), Leandro Augusto (Pumas), Edgar Andrade (Jaguares)

FWD: Antonio Lopez (America), Vicente Matias Vuoso (Santos)

Best Game: Santos vs. Atlante

Santos fell early against Atlante. Los Potros had a 2 goal lead before the 20 minute mark even hit. Santos would get one in before the end of the half. The second half belonged to Santos they scored three unanswered goal and could have been four but Juan Pablo Rodriguez missed a penalty.

Best Team: Jaguares

Sure America, Pumas, and Santos had impressive wins but the most impressive of all was that of Jaguares. The team was a clear underdog but they showed dominance over Chivas that no other team had shown prior to them. Wining Chivas is something hard to do but to do it by 4 goals is something worth notice.

Best Player: Antonio Lopez.

What a better way to start your scoring account in a professional league than with a hat-trick. Lopez had a thirst for goal on Sunday netting three times and assisting in another occasion. Lopez had more chances in the game but was unable to finish or get there in time. Lopez showed that here is talent in Americas Reserves.

Sylvestre Adame covers Mexican football for Goal.com.

Visit Goal.com's Mexico page for more coverage of the Mexican Primera Division.
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