Liga MX Apertura Play-In Drama: One Team Through, One Team Out, Two Hang in the Balance

Liga MX Apertura 2024 raised its stakes this week. The regular season drew to a close and with it saw the start of the post-season.

While six teams eagerly await the beginning of the quarterfinals, four teams compete in the play-in, knowing that only two teams will survive.

Last night, Tijuana hosted Club América with the winning team sealing their place into the post-season, setting up a double-header with Toluca.

The other fixture welcome a Clásico Tapatío as Chivas welcomed city-rivals Atlas to the Estadio Akron. The loser would be knocked out of quarterfinal contention whilst the other would pass to the final test where they would face the loser of Tijuana and Club América for the final spot in the playoffs and the opportunity to face Cruz Azul.

Tijuana vs Club América

Los Xolos were the highest ranked team in the Play-In and were handed the home advantage with the visit of the reigning Apertura champions.

Their home advantage was felt early on as Unai Bilbao gave Tijuana the lead within the first fifteen minutes and they would take that lead into the halftime break.

In the second half, Las Águilas wasted no time getting back into the game as Brian Rodríguez fired the visitors back into the game. However, for as long as they were celebrating their equaliser, it would take the same amount of time for Los Xolos to re-take the lead with a poked effort from José Zúñiga who scored less than ten minutes after entering the stage as a second-half substitute.

Tijuana seemed certain to claim the seventh seed and to on the honour of facing Toluca in the next round but an added time equaliser for Cristian Broja brought América back into the game, much to the despair of Los Xolos. América even looked to have clinched the victory in the 95th minute when Ález Zendejas put the ball into the back of the net, but a VAR check confirmed that 26-year-old used his arm to do so.

Penalty Shootout

A shootout was needed to decide which of Tijuana or Club América would claim the seventh seed and face Toluca in the Apertura quarterfinals.

After the first round of penalties, it was an advantage for the visitors with Rodríguez scoring once more whilst Christian Rivera watched on as Luís Malagón saved his effort.

Soon after it was a double advantage for the reigning Apertura champions as Israel Reyes converted but Emmanuel Reynoso fired his effort over the bar.

América seemed to be home and dry, as long as they could continue putting the ball into the back of the net. However, the very next penalty, Zendejas, who looked to have sealed América's win before his goal was chalked off had his penalty saved by José Rodríguez for Tijuana.

Bilbao was able to bring Tijuana back into the shootout and the tie looked to be alive again when Álvaro Fidalgo missed a second consecutive penalty for Las Águilas.

Two misses each and Jesús Gomez continued to keep Tijuana in the tie, but Rodrigo Aguirre managed to cope under pressure to keep América's dreams alive.

The decisive penalty came when Aaron Meija saw his penalty kept out by Malagón, announcing Club América as the eventual winners.

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Chivas vs Atlas

Club América's win in the other play-in fixture would mean that the winner between these two would face Tijuana in the final match for the chance to meet Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals.

The pressure was on for both teams, considering that Chivas failed to beat a single team in the Apertura top ten whilst Atlas did not secure a win in any of their last six games, and just one win in their last ten matches, albeit that win did come in this fixture, at the Estadio Akron.

As the first half came to a close, the tension was palpable, with both teams heading to the dressing rooms locked in a goalless stalemate.

On the hour mark the first key decision of the match was made when Matheus Doria was penalised for a tackle in his own box, awarding Chivas with a penalty. Up stepped Victor Gúzman who fired his effort beyond Camilo Vargas.

Once more, a key moment took place in the final five minutes of the game as Chivas defender José Castillo gifted Atlas with a way back into the game with a wicked deflection effort beating Raúl Rángel in the Chivas net.

The game was nicely poised, and set for another shootout to decide the fates of both teams, but that was before the chaos which ensued at the end of the match. Antonio Briseno was handed a second yellow card in the 90 plus 12th minute as Atlas were granted a penalty of their own.

Aldo Rocha stepped up and calmly smashed his effort down the middle, but as the midfielder ran off to celebrate, a brawl overflowed on the side which resulted in Chicharito receiving a straight red card, along with Atlas' Luis Reyes.

Whilst the game only saw three goals, Atlas hit back late into the game and had the nerve to even win it late into added time. Amongst the late drama provided three red cards as Reyes will now be unavailable for selection as his Atlas teammates travel to the north to face Tijuana.

Tijuana vs Atlas: Sunday 24th November, 2024

What did you make of the two Play-In matches? Let us know!