Fansided

Liga MX: Tijuana easily dispatched in Monterrey

By Tom Freeman-Eves

MONTERREY, MEXICO - SEPTEMBER 29: Eric Cantu (L) of Monterrey fights for the ball with Fabian Castillo (R) of Tijuana during the 11th round match between Monterrey and Tijuana as part of the Torneo Apertura 2018 Liga MX at BBVA Bancomer Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
MONTERREY, MEXICO - SEPTEMBER 29: Eric Cantu (L) of Monterrey fights for the ball with Fabian Castillo (R) of Tijuana during the 11th round match between Monterrey and Tijuana as part of the Torneo Apertura 2018 Liga MX at BBVA Bancomer Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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Club Tijuana were put to the sword on match day ten as Monterrey put three past Xolos without response at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer. The 3 – 0 victory sees C.F. Monterrey rise to 4th in the table while Club Tijuana drop back down to 11th.

In a potential season defining week for Xolos, they were unable to get over the line despite having the lion’s share of possession; 58% overall. The shot count was dominant in favour of Xolos as well as they managed 11 to Los Rayados’ 7. The difference though was in the quality of the shots as only 1 of the 11 were on target, Monterrey on the other hand were clinical. They managed 4 of 7 shots on target with 3 resulting in a goal.

The misery started early for Xolos as man of the match Rogelio Funes Mori opened the scoring in the 11th minute after an attractive move down the left-wing ended in a scrappy ball across the box:

Given his positioning, you would’ve expected Canto to be the clear favorite to win the ball here but, unfortunately, the Argentine got his feet tangled and just couldn’t turn fast enough.

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Following the goal, Xolos went on the offensive and came close to equalizing a number of times, falling just short thanks to some fantastic blocks from the Monterrey back line. Despite the positive response, they weren’t able to carry the same momentum in to the second half and hopes of a comeback were dashed when Sánchez slotted home a penalty in the 57th minute to give Monterrey a 2 – 0 lead.

Finally, misery was confirmed as Gallardo, a waterlogged pitch and another error from Canto combined to give Monterrey their 3rd and final goal:

This really is hard to watch and could easily have been prevented had Canto stepped up and played closer to Dorian Pabón to deny him time on the ball. In his defense, he was clearly looking to cover the run of Pabón but in conditions like these, you simply have to play for the ball. In the next sequence, he eased off the pace and didn’t cover his back post as Lajud found himself scrambling in no-mans land.

All round, this game is hard to swallow as Tijuana could, and should, have taken more from it. With exceptionally difficult games on the horizon, you can’t help but feel that this will be a crucial result come the end of the season.

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