In the opening leg of the two-part playoff series between Pumas and Club America, the bitter rivalry between the local Mexico City clubs produced a 1-0 result for the home side, Pumas.
The match was mostly even throughout, but a few key elements turned the tide in favor of Pumas. Here are three things to note from the game.
Momentum matters: Pumas entered the match as the lowest seed in the Liguilla, but with the confidence of closing the Liga MX regular season with a stomping 4-2 victory over another playoff participant, Monterrey.
In contrast, Club America clinched a playoff spot early, but then languidly limped to the finish of the season winless in its last four games.
Small wonder, then, that Eduardo Herrera, who notched two goals against Monterrey, had the confidence to outleap the Aguilas defenders in the 79th minute of the match and head in the winning goal.
Winning moves: Every match has ebbs and flows, with opportunities for each side. This match was especially even, with both teams accounting for the exact number of shots (14). Yet when the starting goalkeeper for Pumas, Alejandro Palacios, had to leave the game in the 56th minute because of a shoulder injury, it seemed a golden opportunity for Club America to pepper the goal and put pressure on the young fill-in, Alfredo Saldivar.
Perhaps because the match was scoreless still at that point, there didn't seem to be any particular urgency to the Aguilas attack. It didn't help Club America to be still without one of their most fiery players, Rubens Sambueza, whose injury must be worse than was first believed. Yet that doesn't excuse the rest of the squad. They are, on paper, the more talented squad. If coach Antonio Mohamed expected the liguilla alone to be what would push his players another level of performance, he was sadly mistaken.
However, Pumas didn't settle for the draw. Coach Guillermo Vazquez called on Daniel Luduena in the 71st minute and the sub immediately made an impact. It was Luduena who curved in the entry pass that Herrera latched onto for his header goal.
Only after falling behind did the Aguilas quicken the pace of the game and start working together well to create chances consistently. At times, it seemed they would indeed salvage a draw, but in the end, none of the opportunities created were good enough to be an equalizer.
The Right Fit: Vazquez has been lauded for his work with Pumas partly because the talent he has to work with is underrated. He has a knack for getting the most out of his players. Their tough play and willingness to go at any team show the trust the squad has in their coach's plans.
Mohamed has earned good results with Club America, leading the team to the playoffs twice, and this season taking the club into the liguilla as the No. 1 seed. For a certain segment of fans, though, that's not enough. In this Apertura, Mohamed has failed to win any of the main rivalry games (Pumas, Cruz Azul and Chivas). Now he has committed yet another sin -- losing in the Liguilla to derby rivals Pumas. It's enough to make some wonder if Mohamed is really the right coach for Club America. While on the surface, this may seem too demanding, the fact is, if a coach cannot get his players to perform at their best when it really matters, that team will not go far in the playoffs, let alone reach the championship.
All is not lost for Club America, of course, and the team could get back on track with a win over Pumas in the second leg of the playoffs in Azteca Stadium. However, the squad will have to guard against conceding an away goal, which would tiebreak any aggregate draw in favor of Pumas.