Chivas comes out of Puebla with a point thanks to a controversial VAR review

Las Chivas Rayadas del Guadalajara was able to salvage a point in Puebla following a controversial VAR review. The referee disallowed what would have been the game-winning goal for Los Camoteros after they scored on a breakaway.

After beating Tigres in the last round, the expectations were riding high for Tomas Boy’s men. Chivas got off to a fast start after the referee signaled a penalty in their favor following a foul inside the box on Javier La Chofis Lopez by Alejandro Chumacero. Oswaldo Alanis executed the penalty kick to perfection and gave Guadalajara the 1-0 lead.

In the 27th minute, the team from Jalisco nearly made things 2-0, but Nicolás Vikonis deflected a shot from outside the box by Alan Pulido. The Chivas starlet has failed to display some flashes of his brilliance, but by taking cracks at the goal like that one, Pulido can continue to keep the confidence of Tomas Boy.

The game turned a little dull as both teams energy begin to drop. Puebla however, showed a few signs of life, and in the closing minutes of the first half, Los Camoteros tied the game. Pablo Gonzalez sent a cross inside the box that followed a Néstor Vidrio header. Antonio Rodriguez attempted to clear the ball, but it landed at the feet of Brayan Angulo who struck it and scored the goal to tie the game.

The second half turned a little chippy and saw two players get yellow cards for Chivas. Then in the 61st minute, after the home team had been dominating the game, Lucas Cavallini scored a goal on a breakaway play to give his team the 2-1 lead. Chelis’ men had not finished celebrating when referee ran to the VAR screen. The play reviewed was not the goal, but a foul that had not been called on La Chofis by Cavallini. In a twisting turn of events, the referee waved off the score and showed Cavallini a red card.

With that controversial play, we see the VAR once again make its presence felt, and rest assure many will argue that Chivas was the only beneficiary.

Despite being up one player, Chivas continued to struggle. In the 72nd minute, things only got worse for them when Miguel Ponce was shown a second yellow after committing a foul on Chumacero.

With both teams down a man, the last 15 minutes of the match saw the field open up. La Franja continued to be the aggressor and created several close calls. It appeared as though Los Tapatios were content coming out of Puebla with a tie as they pushed their defensive lines back.

In the last minute of the game, Rodriguez came huge with another spectacular save which turned out to be the final play of the game. Despite not earning the victory, Guadalajara is lucky to come out Cuauhtemoc Stadium with a point.

One of the bright showings for Chivas today was the performance by el Antonio El Pollo Briseño. The defender showed why he’s a reason Guadalajara could get back to the playoffs. On the offensive side, however, Oribe El Cepillo Peralta has failed to make his presence felt. It will be interesting to see how many more games it will take for “The Brush” to adapt to Tomas Boy’s system.

Up next for Chivas is Atletico San Luis in Guadalajara, as for Puebla, they’ll take on Santos Laguna.