Giovani dos Santos debuts with Club América, scores winning penalty kick in Leagues Cup quarterfinal

Club América advanced to the Leagues Cup semifinals after a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over the Houston Dynamo. The game was played at BBVA Stadium on a perfect evening that saw zero humidity, unusual for the Texan city this time of year.

It was the first time the two sides have met in national competition since 2008, where the Major League Soccer team came out with a 1-0 victory.

Giovani dos Santos also saw his first minutes with the Liga MX giant after almost nine months of inactivity. Coincidentally, his last game was against the team from Houston, while he was still playing for the LA Galaxy.

In the game’s first half, Wilmer Cabrera’s squad created more opportunities than el Piojo’s men, but in the end, their efforts were unsuccessful. And despite playing at home, the #ForeverOrange fans were outnumbered by the Azulcremas spectators in the stands.

The first goal of the night finally came in the 73rd minute when Nicolás Benedetti’s sliding shot from the center of the box went in between the Dynamo goalkeeper’s legs.

Dynamo forward Michael Salazar had some clear opportunities but couldn’t find the back of the net. In one instance he found himself wide open in front of the goal after a freekick from Quiotto in the 78th minute, but despite the proximity, he wasn’t able to complete the play and score.

The experience of ex-USMNT star, DaMarcus Beasley, showed on the pitch when he scored the equalizer with only five minutes left to go in the game, forcing the winner to be determined via penalties.

The Texan team started off on the wrong foot after Agustín Marchesin was able to save Romell Quiotto’s first penalty kick. In Las Águilas fifth kick, Roger Martínez missed his shot, followed by Houston’s Junqua kicking his shot over the right corner of the goal. Afterward, Giovani dos Santos stepped up to the penalty area for the decisive kick and scored the winning shot.

With the win, Las Águilas will return to Houston to face Tigres UANL in the semifinal on Aug. 20. at BBVA Stadium.