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Drama in Copa MX: Pachuca, León advance in penalty shootouts

By Thomas Buckley

LEON, MEXICO - OCTOBER 03: Pedro Aquino del Leon celebrates after scoring the last penalty shot of his team during the quaterfinals match between Leon and Pumas UNAM as part of the Copa MX Apertura 2018 at Leon Stadium on October 3, 2018 in Leon, Mexico. (Photo by Eduardo Reyna/Jam Media/Getty Images)
LEON, MEXICO - OCTOBER 03: Pedro Aquino del Leon celebrates after scoring the last penalty shot of his team during the quaterfinals match between Leon and Pumas UNAM as part of the Copa MX Apertura 2018 at Leon Stadium on October 3, 2018 in Leon, Mexico. (Photo by Eduardo Reyna/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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Pachuca and León won dramatic penalty kick shootouts Wednesday night to advance to the semifinals of the Copa MX. Cruz Azul will host León while Pachuca will host the winner of the pending quarterfinal match between Monterrey and Querétaro.

Both games were marred by poor refereeing, but in each case the team most aggrieved advanced anyway.

The Pachuca-Tigres match was a veritable thriller. Both teams attacked from the outset and played with high energy virtually the entire game.

Angelo Sagal opened the scoring for the Tuzos in minute 9 off a well-executed set piece. Off a free kick, José de Jesús Padilla sent a long entry pass to the right of goal where defender Stiven Barreiro headed back across goal to the back post where Sagal was unmarked and the Chilean striker nodded home.

The Tigres responded less than 10 minutes later. Enner Valencia tried to pass to Ismael Sosa in the right channel but Tuzos defender Elbis Sousa blocked it. Valencia pounced on the loose ball, dribbled past his marker then passed again to Sosa who dribbled into the box and crossed in front of keeper Oscar Pérez inside the far post to tie the score 1-1.

The visitors took the lead in minute 36 when Valencia was not called for a clear offside. Valencia was behind the defense and made an effort to get his head on a long, lead pass and the whistle should have blown. Instead, play was allowed to continue and Javier Aquino (back from a long injury absence) chased down the ball and fired past a helpless Pérez. Pachuca defenders had stopped chasing and Pérez had his hand in the air waving for the offside call, but the goal was allowed.

In minute 70, Raúl “Dedos” López fired a low, left-footer from 20 meters that hit the same post twice. The shot beat Tigres goalie Nahuel Guzmán to his right and clanked off the post, then bounced of the prone keeper’s head and ricocheted off the post again.

Second-half sub Franco Jara came to the rescue for the Tuzos, scoring headers in minute 72 and 87, the latter goal appearing the be the game winner. In between the two goals, Valencia squandered a golden opportunity to put the Tigres ahead on a breakaway in minute 75 when he appeared to get his feet tangled and could only punch his shot over the goal after rounding Pérez.

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Valencia made up for his flub deep into injury time, getting behind the Tuzos defense and calmly bringing down a lead pass from Juninho then chipping over the onrushing Pérez to knot the score at 3-3 on the final play of regulation.

Pachuca coach Pako Ayestarán subbed in goalie Alfonso Blanco for the penalty kicks though he would turn out to be a non-factor. The Tigres twice had chances to win the shootout and both times fired over the crossbar. Blanco made no saves during the shootout, but the Tuzos advanced when the Tigres’ 20-year-old defender Juan José Sánchez’s kick bounded off the crossbar.

Pachuca will host its Copa MX semifinal after earning the No. 2 seed during the group stage. The Tuzos await the winner of next week’s quarterfinal between Monterrey and Querétaro.

The second Copa MX quarterfinal on Wednesday was much less enthralling because León dominated possession and outclassed the Pumas from start to finish. During the first half, the Pumas worked hard to reduce spaces and were effective and clearing the box in front of keeper Miguel Fraga.

UNAM took the lead in minute in minute 22 completely against the run of play when Carlos González cut between two defenders at the top of the box then took aim just as León’s Andrés Mosquera lunged, getting his foot on the shot only to deflect it over his goalie, William Yarbrough.

Shortly after that, León had the equalizer disallowed for offside and went into the locker room at the half losing 1-0.

During most of the second half, León’s dominance only increased as UNAM seemed panicky. On offense, the Pumas were frantic, losing possession too easily and on defense they seemed to run around too much and lose discipline between lines.

Walter González evened things up just past the hour mark, rising up to head home at the back post off a corner kick.

The Esmeraldas had two other goals disallowed for offside before the most questionable call of the night. In minute 89, Pumas goalie Fraga came off his line and leaped to grab a pass only to crash into his retreating defender Pablo Jáquez. The ball came loose and Jean Meneses cruised in and fired into the back of the net but the ref whistled the play dead, apparently ruling that Meneses had fouled the goalie. Replays showed he did no such thing.

Nonetheless, León prevailed on penalty kicks 5-4 as Yarbrough made two saves and second-half sub Pedro Aquino converted the winner in the 8th round.

León will meet Cruz Azul in the Copa MX semifinals in two weeks’ time at Estadio Azteca.

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