Sergio Canales This Thursday he converted a penalty in the 90th minute to give the Rayados de Monterrey a 1-0 win against Cougars FIRST in the quarterfinals of the Mexican soccer Apertura. In Monterrey, the Pumas confirmed their defense as the best in the championship and held off the strong rival until Canales’ goal that forced the university team to win on Sunday at their stadium, in the second leg of the tie.
In the first half the visitors stood well and dried up the Rayados attack; To complete their good performance, they were about to take the lead with three shots on goal from César Huerta. One of them moved goalkeeper Luis Cárdenas, but Jorge Rubalcava abandoned the goal with all his favor. Seconds before the end of the first half, Monterrey created a danger with a header from Gerardo Arteaga that went wide.
The second half passed with Monterrey in search of the opposite goal. They attacked from all sides without achieving until defender Pablo Bennevendo committed a foul in the area, which was well taken by Canales.
Two hours earlier, Domènec Torrent’s San Luis defeated Tigres UANL 3-0. Brazilians Leo Bonatini and Vitinho scored for San Luis, with the first point coming from an own goal by fellow Brazilian Joaquim.
Tigres were better at the start of both halves, but lacked force. When Ricardo Chávez entered the area in the 35th minute, Joaquim intercepted the ball and put it in his own goal. Again in the second half the visitors started better, however, with the locals playing worse, Bonatini received the ball from Vitinho and from the right made it 2-0, the advantage extended to 64th minute with a header from Vitinho.
The quarterfinals began this Wednesday with the victories of champion América, seventh, 2-0 against Toluca, second; and Tijuana, ranked eighth, 3-0 over leader Cruz Azul. The winners of each round will play in the semifinals. In the event of a tie, the best four in the regular season, Cruz Azul, Toluca, Tigres UANL or Pumas UNAM, will qualify.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
