Necaxa beats last-placed Veracruz & remains in playoff contention

Round 12 of Liga MX action continued Saturday night as Veracruz was playing their first game after having suffered their relegation to the second division at an early stage of the tournament while Necaxa sought to stay in the top eight of the table and keep their playoff hopes alive. With the competition winding down, Los Rayos need as many points possible and what a perfect way to get them than against the last place team.

The start of the first half was very unbalanced with Necaxa creating opportunities back-to-back while stopping any attempt that Veracruz made. Los Rayos came closer every time and were rewarded for their efforts when Fernando Gonzalez scored a volley off of a cross that left Sebastian Jurado in the ground.

The rest of the half remained in control of the home team with various opportunities that seemed go in but were saved by Veracruz’s star goalie. The half ended with Rayos up 1-0 leaving the Tiburones’ fans upset one more time.The second half started just like the first ended with the Aguascalientes team dominating and creating chances, but unable to finish the plays.

Because of that, Los Tiburones Rojos started to become more dangerous as they kept improving and playing better as the game was getting closer to the 90th minute. Nerves were raising on the field when Necaxa didn’t seem to be able to react and was close to getting tied by a team who didn’t show much skill throughout the game.

During a last-minute attack by the squad from El Puerto Jarocho, the home team snatched the ball away from them and created a lethal counterattack that sealed their victory in the 92nd minute. Brian Fernandez reached his tenth goal of the season with a beautiful right footed shot, which now places him right after Angel Mena from Leon who leads the top scorer sheet.

Speaking of Los Panzas Verdes, Necaxa will meet the competition leaders next week. Meanwhile, Veracruz will face Atlas in search of finishing the tournament with honor.