It wasn't an easy morning for Guadalajara Subs against their Pumas counterparts on the last day of the calendar. On the one hand, the U-23s let a thrilling 3-3 draw slip away in the last play of the match, while the U-18s put their place in the Liguilla in doubt by losing 2-0 and will have to wait until the end of the day to find out if they will be able to finish in eighth place.
What happened to the U-23 team?
El Rebaño showed that they can never give up, as they had a brave reaction in the second half to come back from a two-goal deficit and equalize the score, but an oversight at 90' cost them a 4-3 defeat, a result that allowed Tigres to snatch the general super-leadership. The team from Guadalajara ended the regular phase with 32 points, placed second and are now awaiting confirmation of their Quarter Final opponent, which will be either Santos or FC Juárez.
Special mention should be made of Armando 'Hormiga' González, who scored in this match, making him the virtual Apertura 2023 individual scoring champion with 13 goals.
The goals
- The home side opened the scoring at 34' with a bit of luck, as the ball was left alive in the area after hitting the right post and the ball was left for Mateo Casares, who simply pushed it into the net.
- UNAM extended its lead early in the second half, when Gael Rodríguez received the ball on the left flank, headed towards the goal and scored with a low shot at the base of the near post.
- El Rebaño Sagrado scored the equalizer at 63' thanks to a cross-shot from Armando González, who bent the goalkeeper's hands with his powerful shot.
- The Universitarios regained their two-goal advantage five minutes later, from a free kick that slipped inside the goal.
- Chivas closed the scoreboard again at 79', when Zavala sent a powerful header across the entire area and Gael García squeezed in at the far post to close the scoring.
- Chevy' Martínez, who had been on the field for a few minutes, tied the game at 89', after receiving a filtered pass and from the edge of the area, he shot a low right-footed shot that was impossible to save.
- The Red and White heroics were seconds away from being achieved, but Pumas sealed the game in the following play through Rodríguez, who took advantage of a defensive lapses to shoot past Montiel inside the box.
Pumas Under 23 4-3 Chivas Under 23
(Mateo Cásares at 34', Gael Rodríguez at 48' and 90', Andrés Araujo at 68')
(Armando González at 63', Gael García at 79', Sebastián Martínez at 89')
Referee: Luis Alfredo García Rodríguez
The Cantera
Lineups:
Pumas U23: 181 Miguel Paul, 185 Andrés Araujo, 187 Alonso Rosales, 193 Héctor Ramírez, 196 Mateo Casares, 197 Miguel Carreón, 202 Fernando Sámano, 207 Amaury García, 208 Gael Rodríguez, 210 Emanuel Montejano and 212 José González.
D.T. Israel Hernández
Chivas U23: 201 Erick Montiel, 186 Javier Guerrero, 187 Diego Delgadillo, 202 Daniel Flores, 208 Ismael Angulo, 44 Saúl Zamora, 57 Dylan Guajardo, 185 Gibran Ortiz, 189 Gael García, 192 Armando González and 194 Luis Ledesma.
D.T. José Melendez
How did the U18s fare?
El Chiverío could do little against the most consistent team of the semester, as UNAM set the scoreboard from the first half and then managed the pace of the match to kill any hope of a reaction from the red and white team. Now, El Rebaño will have to hope that Cruz Azul does not get any points on Matchday 17 and that León does not win either, as, if they do, they would surpass El Rebaño's 30 points and move them out of eighth place overall.
The goals
- Pumas took the lead with a goal in the 5th minute, when Félix Raya appeared unmarked at the far post to head the ball home.
- UNAM put the game to bed at 42', when Santiago López received a delayed pass in the heart of the box, leaving Liceaga out of the competition, and coolly slotted the ball past the Tapatío defenders.
Pumas U18 2-0 Chivas U18
(Félix Raya at 5' and Santiago López at 42')
Referee: Carlos Iván Trejo Saldívar
The Cantera
Lineups:
Pumas U18: 233 Carlos García, 238 Julián Freyfeld, 239 Guillermo Santana, 244 Jonathan Flores, 241 Ángel Rico, 242 Félix Raya, 243 Gerardo Serralde, 246 Stanley García, 247 Marco Hernández, 256 Sebastián Venegas and 254 Santiago López.
Coach Juan Ramírez.
Chivas U18: 301 Juan Liceaga, 188 Francisco Méndez, 237 José Gallegos, 75 Hugo Mata, 236 Juan Uribe, 244 Raúl Nuño, 245 Osvaldo Plascencia, 300 José Elenes, 205 Ariel Castro, 255 Isaac González and 256 Diego Latorre.
D.T. Sergio Pinto.
