Las Aguilas stay undefeated getting the win in Toluca.
America leaves the Estadio Nemesio Diez with the victory after having defeated Toluca 1-0 with a second-half counterattack goal by Renato Ibarra in the 62nd minute.
Club America and Toluca faced off on Sunday afternoon in the high altitude of Toluca. A challenging place to play for all visiting teams because of the time of day and elevation in Toluca and today’s game was no exception for the visiting Aguilas.
Las Aguilas were coming off a tremendous 3-1 victory at home against Xolos that saw the impressive debut of Giovanni Dos Santos. Toluca was trying to bounce back after their 2-0 loss in Juarez against Bravos and only having gotten one point thus far in the season.
The game was challenging and gritty one that saw las Aguilas playing from the first minute a defensive style and trying to counter on Los Diablos Rojos. Ricardo La Volpe’s men pressured the entire first half bombarding the interim America goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez.
Jimenez first major save of the game came in the 19th minute after a sizzling shot from Pardo just inside the 18-yard box. Pardo’s shot followed by header towards the top right corner of the goal, but Jimenez was able to reach the ball barely and sent it out for a corner kick.
The first half of play ended with no goals, but it did see five players receiving a yellow card. Once the second half of the game began the strategy for both teams did not change. El Piojo Herrera’s team stayed in their defensive third trying to find a quick opportunity to counter-attack on La Volpe’s men.
This strategy for America finally came to fruition in the 62nd minute after a missed corner kick opportunity for Toluca. Andres Ibarguen found himself with a cleared ball and sent a three-fourths of the field pass to Renato Ibarra. The playmaker took on three defenders and sent a shot to the far end post just passing the outstretched hands of Alfredo Talavera for the only goal of the game.
Toluca tried to find the equalizer for the rest of the game, but America’s defense fought tooth and nail. They cleared every cross sent by Los Diablos Rojos until the very last play of the game.
America remains undefeated and currently stands as second in the league table awaiting the result from Santos vs. Puebla game later this evening. Meanwhile, Toluca sits at the bottom of the table with only one point. America will travel to Atlanta midweek to face Atlanta United in the Campeones Cup. They’ll head back home to face Morelia on Sunday in a game will likely be the debut and return of Guillermo Ochoa to El Nido. Toluca will be heading to the northern part of Mexico to face off against Monterrey and hopefully try to turn this young season again before it’s too late.
Giovanni dos Santos got his first start for Las Aguilas in Liga MX play but only played for 60 minutes and was ineffective in his time on the field. He will need to work to improve his game shape for El Piojo to keep considering him for the starting XI.
