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Chivas sink further, but Santos still has ray of hope

By Jahir M. Martinez

ZAPOPAN, MEXICO - APRIL 20: Jesús Molina #20 of Chivas reacts during the 15th round match between Chivas and Puebla as part of the Torneo Clausura 2019 Liga MX at Akron Stadium on April 20, 2019 in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Refugio Ruiz/Getty Images)
ZAPOPAN, MEXICO - APRIL 20: Jesús Molina #20 of Chivas reacts during the 15th round match between Chivas and Puebla as part of the Torneo Clausura 2019 Liga MX at Akron Stadium on April 20, 2019 in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Refugio Ruiz/Getty Images) /
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A Week 15 home game against Puebla was just another tragic night for the Chivas at Estadio Akron.

The Chivas came up short against visiting Puebla on Saturday night, losing 3-1 in front of a disappointing home crowd that took out its frustrations on their team by booing them lustily.

A second loss under new coach Tomas Boy kept the Chivas deep in the cellar, in 15th place with two games to go in the Clausura. Guadalajara will miss out on the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

The team showed early energy but then sank back into bad habits, while some players appeared to lose motivation as the game wore on. The current status of the Chivas attack was represented that their only score came from an own-goal by Puebla defender Brayan Angulo who then went on to score twice for his team before halftime.

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Not a single goal for Alan Pulido, Alexis Vega, Eduardo Lopez or Gael Sandoval. Still, it was the first goal of any kind in 260 minutes and that goal was a penalty kick by Sandoval. Before that were three shutouts. In other words, it has been 702 minutes since the Chivas have scored from the run of play (Isaac Brizuela netted in minute 18 of their 3-1 loss to Pachuca in Matchday 8).

The result officially eliminated the Chivas from the playoff race. It’s long past time to prepare for the Apertura 2019, maybe even start from scratch, while confronting the realities of relegation concerns. A sad state of affairs for the Chivas.

Santos 2, Querétaro 1

Santos’ playoff chances are on a respirator, but Sunday night’s win means they won’t be pulling the plug for another week.

The Guerreros were playing their first game under Guillermo Almada and they pleased their home fans with a strong first-half performance that lifted them into 12th place. With 19 points and only two games remaining, Santos must make up 4 points and leapfrog four teams to make the playoffs.

Although both Santos goals were own-goals they were the result of offensive pressure and good shotmaking. The Gallos Blancos struck quickly to open the second half, but the Santos defense stood up to the test and protected the lead. Both teams created a few chances but the score stayed 2-1.

Santos next faces a struggling America – coming off a loss to Toluca – at Estadio Azteca where the Guerreros won earlier this season, defeating Cruz Azul 2-1 on Matchday 7.

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