Thursday Thriller: América Stuns Xolos in Penalties, Atlas Shocks Chivas in a Night of Heartbreak
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WOW. We had two great games on Thursday night! Xolos suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Club América, losing on penalties. Despite a strong start with goals from Unai Bilbao (15’) and José Raúl Zúñiga Murillo (53’), Tijuana couldn’t hold on to their lead. Brian Rodríguez scored for América in the 51st minute, but it was Cristian Borja’s clutch equalizer in stoppage time (90+1’) that forced the game into penalties.
Tijuana’s chances were significantly impacted by Nicolás Díaz’s red card in the 74th minute, leaving them to battle with 10 men for the remainder of the game. Club América showed composure in the penalty shootout, converting three of their spot kicks to Tijuana’s two, sealing a dramatic victory at Estadio Caliente.
Meanwhile, in Jalisco, heartbreak also struck for Chivas as they fell 2-1 to Atlas in a defeat that few saw coming. Victor Guzmán’s penalty in the 59th minute gave Chivas the lead, and with dominant possession (61%) and more shots, it seemed like they were set to seal a routine win. However, an own goal by José Castillo in the 85th minute turned the game on its head, and Aldo Rocha’s ice-cold penalty in the 90+14th minute completed the upset. The match ended in chaos as Chivas saw both Antonio Briseño and Javier Hernández Balcázar sent off in added time. I truly thought Chivas had this one in the bag at home—they seemed in control. But Atlas showed resilience, capitalizing on their opportunities with six shots on target, double that of Chivas.
Xolos will have one more chance to stay in the hunt due to the new play-in format. They’ll be taking on Atlas, this Sunday, for the right to play Cruz Azul in the Quarterfinals.
REACTING TO MEXICO’S COMEBACK WIN VS HONDURAS
WATCH:
Tijuana vs Atlas
Sunday, Nov 24th
Xolos Poised to End Atlas' Cinderella Run
Atlas can’t pull it off again, right? Don’t get me wrong—Atlas deserves credit for making it this far, but it’s tough to rally behind them after advancing thanks to an own goal and a late penalty. As I mentioned earlier, Chivas dominated possession, yet Atlas showed late-game heroics in a challenging environment at Akron Stadium. That said, I think it’ll be too much for Atlas to replicate that performance against a stronger opponent like Xolos, especially with this game being played at Estadio Caliente.
Tijuana’s loss to América came down to the red card that forced them to sit back and defend, eventually allowing América to break through. With a full squad and home-field advantage, I expect Xolos to bounce back. It’ll be a close game—I hate going against a team with momentum and nothing to lose, like Atlas—but I’m sticking with Juan Carlos Osorio and the team I picked as the dark horse at the start of the season. I’m taking Xolos to win and set up a Quarterfinal clash with Cruz Azul.
Compa Garrett’s Prediction: Xolos to Advance
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