Los Rojinegros Win And Move To The Top Of The Leaderboard
In week 2 of the 2019 Apertura season, both Morelia and Atlas were looking for an important three points early on in this young campaign. Morelia in search of a bounce-back performance after a 4-2 defeat to Tigres and Atlas wanting to build upon their win versus newly promoted side Juarez FC. Three pivotal points were up for grabs in this clash as both clubs looked to capitalize on the opportunity to start their season on the right foot.
Early on Morelia looked to test Atlas’ defense with a couple of chances in the box leading up to a right-footed outside of the box strike from Gaston Lezcano. Atlas seemed to let Morelia put on the pressure, but would try to quickly counter to catch Monarcas in transition. Their efforts seemed in vain as Morelia shut down Atlas.
La Monarquia had two other long-shot attempts from Edison Flores and Fernando Aristeguieta along with a strong header from Aristeguieta, but all of Morelia’s chances did not lead to the breakthrough. However, even with less possession and looking shaky in the back, Atlas looked to have shocked Morelia by taking a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, even though Javier Correa looked to have scored, the play was called back by the referee as Jesus Isijara was caught offside at the beginning of the build-up. Morelia had a last opportunity toward the end of the half on a swift counter, but the game remained 0-0 at halftime as Luis Mendoza skyed it over the bar.
As the second half started, it looked more of the same with Morelia controlling possession and having cracks at the goal from outside the box. The game suddenly got a jolt of life when Sebastian Vegas had an uncosted header in the box. It surely looked that Morelia found their goal but Atlas keeper Camilo Vargas had other plans. His last-ditch save was only one highlight of his impressive outing.
Morelia would not let up the pressure as a goal looked inevitable. Two chances from Aristeguieta soon followed. One, a header that just missed the post and the other a shot coming from a dangerous cross but was saved by Vargas.
Even with Monarcas looking the better side throughout the game, their defense eventually let them down as Atlas found a key through ball that was not dealt with in the box. The ball found Osvaldo Martinez who lobbed it into Jesus Isijara for him to head it into the net. Morelia keeper Sosa got a hand on it as he tried to rescue La Monarquia, but it was little too late and Los Zorros took the 1-0 lead in the 74th minute.
Monarcas suddenly found themselves trailing. They quickly went back to putting Atlas on the back foot. Lezcano made a devasting run into the box dropping an Atlas defender in the process and drawing a penalty after a late tackle from Jesus Angulo.
Coming off the Monarcas bench, up stepped new signing Lucas Villafanez. After an unorthodox run-up, his powerful low shot aimed toward the corner was saved by Vargas. The Atlas keeper was already had a couple of outstanding saves up to this point, but his amazing penalty save just encompassed his performance on the night and the frustration on the part of Morelia.
After a couple of last-ditch efforts to salvage a point from Morelia, the game petered out and ended a valent but forgettable team performance by Monarcas. With this loss, that marks a second straight defeat for the Michoacanos. Atlas, on the other hand, grabs a second win on the bounce starting their season with a solid six points out of six.
