Xoloitzcuintles Allow First Half Goals – Can’t Score Against 9-Man Puebla In Second Half
Soccer News: Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles played to a 2-1 loss against host Puebla FC Sunday evening at Estadio Olímpico BUAP in Week 16 action of LIGA MX.
Christian Bermudez (14th minute) and Luis Gabriel Rey (32nd) scored for the hosts in the first half. Colombian forward Dayro Moreno cut the Xoloitzcuintles deficit in half during the second half giving the away side hope of a come-from-behind. But Club Tijuana fell short in the 2015 Apertura match against a Puebla team that finished with nine men after two red card ejections in the second half.
Bermudez opened the scoring when he took advantage of a deflected shot from teammate Rey. Bermudez volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Gibran Lajud. Rey doubled the lead for Puebla when his soft shot bounced off the post and into the goal. Club Tijuana (4-11-1, 13 points) pushed forward looking to get on the scoring sheet as quick as possible during the final minutes of the first half and the entire second half.
A red card to Puebla’s recently subbed in Jesus Santos opened the door for the Xoloitzcuintles to fully take control of the match and push men forward. Manager Raul Chabrand subbed in an extra striker, Alfredo Moreno, to bolster the attack.
Alfredo Moreno, the Argentine veteran striker, had a shot from the edge of the box minutes after being subbed in that the Puebla FC goalkeeper was able to block. Dayro Moreno took advantage of the rebound to blast the ball into the back of the net to put the Xoloitzcuintles on the board.
Puebla’s Gustavo Alustiza was also shown a red card on a similar play as the first ejection. It helped intensify the final minutes as the visiting Club Tijuana pushed forward looking for an equalizer. It didn’t come. Puebla improved to 8-6-2.
Club Tijuana, along with the rest of the LIGA MX, will be out of action next week due to the FIFA International Break. The next match for the Xoloitzcuintles is the season finale at home against Atlas FC Nov. 20.
