Tijuana Xolos Liga MX 2019 Apertura Recap: Xolos suffer 4-1 away loss to Santos Laguna
Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
The Tijuana Xolos played their Week 14 Liga MX 2019 Apertura this Friday, Oct. 18, as the Aztec Canines visited the Estadio TSM Corona to face Santos Laguna. This was set to be difficult game for Club Tijuana considering it was away from home and Ariel Nahuelpan, Camilo Sanvezzo and Kevin Balanta were all unavailable due to suspensions.
It turned out to be more than difficult for the Aztec Canines as Santos Laguna came away with a dominant 4-1 win. The scoring started in the 32nd minute of the clash as Brian Lozano scored off a cross by Diego Valdes to give the Celestial Warriors the lead.
The scoring play was a magnificent effort by Valdes on the wing to get the cross in, but it came with some errors by the Xolos’ backline as Gibran Lajud and Diego Braghieri were unable to clear the ball after a failed header by Lozano. The second goal of the night for Santos came in the 41st minute as the roles were switched this time around, Lozano proving the cross and Valdes scoring the goal.
The third goal of the match for the home team came right before the end of the first half as Fernando Gorriaran sent in a cross that found Julio Furch and the Argentine striker was able to finish the opportunity to perfection. The first half ended 3-0 in Santos Laguna’s favor as the Xolos’ backline really struggled to contain Los Guerreros.
The lone goal of the game for the Xoloitzcuintles came in the 56th minute as Erick Torres scored with his head off a cross. However, it was far too late for Club Tijuana as it was impossible to get back into the game at this point in the clash.
Santos Laguna tacked on one more goal before the final whistle as Octavio Rivero scored in the 85th minute. The goal was the product of sloppy defending and sloppy goalkeeping by Gibran Lajud as the game ended 4-1 to the Xolos’ dismay.
The Xolos are currently in 11th place with 18 points at the time of writing and the border city team will be in a fierce race for the playoffs in the coming weeks. The loss was a significant one as the Prehistoric Dogs continue to struggle on the road with five losses and just two wins away from home.
Here’s @erickestefano15’s goal against @ClubSantosEn, with the call from our friends @SirJohnLaguna and @RodolfoLanderos on @FOXDeportes. #GoXolos #UnidosSomosMásPerros pic.twitter.com/bMXQEbmBwJ
— Xolos (@xolos_en) October 19, 2019
Xolos’ Lineup: Gibran Lajud, Julian Velazquez, Jordan Silva, Diego Braghieri, Omar Mendoza (70′ Cesar Falletti), Ignacio Rivero (83′ Jorge Rojas), Fernando Arce Jr. (85′ Angel Sepulveda), Mauro Lainez, Lolo Miranda, Miller Bolanos, Erick Torres
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.