Tijuana Xolos undefeated in last three eLiga MX games after Week 4 clash
The Tijuana Xolos played their fourth game in the eLiga MX this past Monday, April 20, as Tijuana’s Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez faced off against Atlas’ Jairo Torres. Gonzalez-Pirez was the underdog heading into the match as Torres is just 19 years old and was said to be very good with the PlayStation controller.
The Argentine centre-back was also the underdog in his first eLiga MX match against Queretaro’s Marcel Ruiz, but he pulled off a draw against the young midfielder. Gonzalez-Pirez began the match with a very early lead in the seventh minute of the clash as he scored with Edwin Cardona to give the Xolos a 1-0 lead.
Jairo Torres then immediately applied plenty of pressure to Gonzalez-Pirez with several important attacking plays. Xolos goalkeeper Gibran Lajud saved a couple of shots, but Torres was finally able to tie the game in the 30th minute with a goal by Manuel Balda. Jairo Torres’ virtual player played a role in the goal as he fired a shot that was saved by Lajud, but Balda was able to capitalize on the rebound.
The Xoloitzcuintles immediately responded after the goal as Gonzalez-Pirez scored another goal with Edwin Cardona in the 34th minute. The goal was a very well-constructed play as Mauro Lainez passed the ball to Cardona inside of the box, then Cardona finished it calmly to give Club Tijuana a 2-1 lead.
The first half ended 2-1 in Tijuana’s favor as it was clearly a very even matchup, and it was anybody’s game in the second half. Jairo Torres was able to tie the game with a goal off a corner kick as Luciano Acosta made it a 2-2 scoreline.
The game ended in a draw as neither player was able to score after Atlas’ second goal of the match. With the draw, the Aztec Canines are now in 11th place with five points at the time of writing. Club Tijuana is currently undefeated in their last three eLiga MX with two draws and a win after starting the league with a 5-1 loss to Santos Laguna.
The Xoloitzcuintles will play Toluca in Week 5 over the weekend to try and continue this undefeated run as well as to try to get into the top eight.
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.