Tijuana Xolos Liga MX 2019 CL Week 7 Recap: Aztec Canines Devour Red Sharks At Estadio Caliente

Tijuana, Mexico

The Tijuana Xolos played their seventh game in the Liga MX 2019 Clausura this Friday, Feb. 15, as Club Tijuana hosted Veracruz at the Estadio Caliente.

The game started off with plenty of action as Fabian Castillo was injured just four minutes into it and young winger Jesus Angulo had to step in.

Then in the seventh minute, Veracruz defender Edson Garcia received a red card for impeding the ball to go into the back of the net with his hand. The Xoloitzcuintles received a penalty and Gustavo Bou put it past Sebastian Jurado to give the home team a 1-0 lead. The second goal of the game for the Border City Dogs came shortly after the first as Miller Bolanos extended the Xolos lead in the 17^th minute.

Gustavo Bou provided the assist on the play as the Argentine forward crossed the ball into the penalty area, Bolanos was there to receive the ball and put it in the back of the net with a precise shot. Veracruz received a penalty in the 23^rd minute, but team captain Cristian “Polaco” Menedez was denied by Gibran Lajud and the score remained 2-0 in Tijuana’s favor.

The first half remained exciting as the Xoloitzcuintles had plenty of missed opportunities throughout it. The game miraculously remained 2-0 at the end of the first 45 minutes, then the game changed pace dramatically in the second half. Diego Gonzalez replaced Ignacio Rivero in the 58^th minute then Daniel Lopez came on for Ariel Nahuelpan in the 71^st minute as Oscar Pareja just made some man-for-man substitutions to give certain players some playing time.

Young Veracruz goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado had a few key saves throughout the second half that kept the scoreline where it was. Los Tiburones Rojos were very close to scoring in the 77^th minute as a shot off a free kick by Adrian Luna smashed the post.

In the 90^th minute, the Xolos received a free kick and young striker Daniel Lopez put the ball in the back of the net to make it 3-0. Lopez’s shot was not powerful at all as it bounced then went into the net as Sebastian Jurado stayed motionless.

The win was a very significant one for the Xoloitzcuintles as the Aztec Canines are now in eighth place with 10 points. Cub Tijuana is in a playoff position for the first time this season and will face Necaxa away from home in Week 8 to try and continue this run of form.

Here's a quick recap of our win tonight. #GoXolos #WeAreSoccer #LigaMXeng pic.twitter.com/iNGUB0BiDv

— Xolos (@xolos_en) February 16, 2019

Xolos Lineup: Gibran Lajud, Omar Mendoza, Julian Velazquez, Diego Braghieri, Luis Fuentes, Diego Rodriguez, Ignacio Rivero (58’ Diego Gonzalez), Fabian Castillo (4’ Jesus Angulo), Miller Bolanos, Gustavo Bou, Ariel Nahuelpan (71’ Daniel Lopez)

Francisco Velasco

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.