Pumas defeat Pachuca to return to a Liga MX Final
· Yahoo Sports
Pumas defeated Pachuca by a 1-0 score to get the victory that gave them the ticket to the final, for the first time since 2020. It was another tight game in which Pumas improved but still suffered greatly but were able to hold on and go thru because of the better finish in the regular season. Pumas will now face off against their other city rivals in Cruz Azul, with the advantage that they close out at home while Cruz Azul will play in their third home stadium of the season (Estadio Azulcrema),
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The 1st half started with Pumas coming out from the start with Juninho, as opposed to the first leg match. A cross into the areas found a wide open Robert Morales, who headed the ball back into the path of Juninho but his shot was deflected wide. Adalberto Carrasquilla got off a shot from outside the area that went well wide. A cross into the area was headed by Morales but it hit the post. A cross into the area would reach a wide open Morales, who from close range sent his shot wide in a horrific miss. Kennedy got past a defender and got off a cross into the area that was just out of reach of a Pachuca attacker. Off a free kick, Pedro Vite got off a great left footed shot that went just wide. A low cross from Alvaro Angulo would got just wide and out of reach of Morales. Angulo got into the area but his left footed shot went wide. The halftime whistle blew and although it had been all Pumas in the 1st half, the tied score meant that Pachuca still had the advantage and was going thru if things didn’t change.
The 2nd half started with neither team making a change during the break. Oussama Idrissi got off a right footed shot that forced Pumas’ goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, to make a save. Off a free kick, Jordan Carrillo got off an amazing right footed over the wall, past Pachuca’s goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, hit the post and went in to score and give Pumas the 1-0 lead they needed. With the goal, Pumas was going to the Liga MX final. Pachuca subbed out Elias Montiel and Victor Guzman for Alexei Dominguez and Alan Bautista. Pachuca started to gain more possession as Pumas starting to sit back to protect their lead. Pachuca subbed out Carlos Sanchez for Salomon Rondon. Pumas subbed out Adalberto Carrasquilla for Ulises Rivas. A cross into the area was headed from close range by Enner Valencia but his header went wide in a bad miss. Pachuca subbed out Enner Valenica and Oussama Idrissi for Luis Quiñones and Gael Alvarez. Pumas subbed out Juninho for Santiago Trigos. Quiñones got off a left footed shot from outside the area that went well wide. A cross into the area would fall to Alvarez, whose dangerous volley was saved by Navas. Another cross into the area was lowered by Rondon but then from close range, he sent his shot well wide in a terrible miss. Pumas subbed out Robert Morales and Jordan Carrillo for Pablo Bennevendo and Antonio Leone. Off a corner kick, the cross was misjudged by Navas, which allowed Quiñones to get off a volley but it came off terribly wide in another wasted opportunity. Pumas were lucky in the end but once again, they went to a Liga MX final.
Pumas returned to a Liga MX final for the first time since the 2020 season. Yet it looked more like their previous final in 2015. That season they ended up in first place which then allowed them to go thru a couple of lackluster series. In their Quarterfinal series, they tied in aggregate by a 1-1 score against Veracruz. In the semifinals they had a great 3-0 win over rivals America (in a match were the home team got two red cards. At home they then proceeded to lose by a 3-1 score. Unfortunately for them, they face Tigres in the final and after a 3-0 loss on the first leg, they fought back to get a 4-1 win but lost the final in Penalties. Pumas will hope things change when they face rivals Cruz Azul, who finished with a worse record but on paper, have the better squad. Pumas will have to fight hard especially now that an aggregate tied score doesn’t mean a title but extra time and Penalties.