Tijuana Xolos Liga MX 2020 Clausura Recap: Xolos extend winless streak with loss to Chivas
Tijuana, Mexico
The Tijuana Xolos played their seventh game in the Liga MX 2020 Clausura tournament this Friday, Feb. 22, as Club Tijuana hosted Chivas at home. The Aztec Canines were heading into this match with a five-game winless streak in league play, and that streak was extended as the Xolos fell 1-0 to Chivas.
The Estadio Caliente was packed to the max, and even beyond that as an area of the stadium under construction was open for seating in this match. There were plenty of Chivas fans at the Mictlan, as Los Rojiblancos are arguably the most popular team in Mexico.
The lone goal of the match came just two minutes into the clash as Jose Juan Macias scored off a cross by Uriel Antuna to give Chivas the 1-0 lead. While that was the only goal of the night, the game remained very intense and hard-fought after Chivas scored.
The game intensified in the 19th minute as Xolos midfielder Mauro Lainez received a red card after a hard clash with Chivas defender Jesus Sanchez. The red card was a big blow for the Border City Dogs, but the Xolos did not give up after the suspension as they played well with the disadvantage.
The clearest opportunity for the border city team came in the 62nd minute of the match as a penalty was awarded to the Xoloitzcuintles. Bryan Angulo went up to take the penalty, but he failed to execute it as his shot smashed the post.
Both Jose Antonio Rodriguez and Gibran Lajud were active in between the sticks for their respective teams, as both sides had plenty of scoring opportunities in the game. The Xolos also had a free kick that smashed the crossbar as the sphere did not find its way into the back of the net.
Edwin Cardona came on to make his debut for the Xolos in the 72nd minute as he replaced Vladimir Lorona. The Colombian playmaker looked sharp in his first minutes for Club Tijuana, but he was not able to find the back of the net.
The game ended 1-0 in Chivas’ favor as it was a disappointing result at home for the Xoloitzcuintles. The Border City Dogs extended their winless streak to six games with the loss as Tijuana is now in 15th place with just six points.
Bryan Angulo misses a penalty for #Xolos. #Chivas still lead 1-0. #LigaMXeng@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/ayIJxaLWFx
— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) February 22, 2020
Xolos Lineup:Â Gibran Lajud, Vladimir Lorona (72′ Edwin Cardona), Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez, Jordan Silva, Aldo Cruz, Ignacio Rivero, Christian Rivera, Alexis Castro (55′ Kevin Balanta), Mauro Lainez, Miller Bolanos, Bryan Angulo (78′ 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.