Xolos victorious over America after a second-half comeback
After being knocked out of Copa MX semifinals by America, Xolos had another chance to redeem themselves against las Aguilas in the Estadio Caliente. Tijuana, with five consecutive victories at home, was going to be a difficult task for the away team to overcome.
With America looking like the clear winner since the first half, Xolos did just enough to take the 3-2 win after making a comeback in the second half.
In the 14th minute, after defensive header inside Tijuana’s penalty area, Guido Rodriguez received the ball about thirty yards from the box. Guido gave a phenomenal strike with his right foot, overcoming Manuel Lajud to put America up 1-0.
Miller Bolanos equalized the scoreboard with an assist from Fabian Castillo in the 32nd minute. Bolanos took a great shot from the penalty arc and went right into the corner of the goal, despite Agustin Marchesin’s high jump in the air.
Five minutes before the end of the first half, Renato Ibarra and Nicolas Benedetti made a short play on a corner kick. Benedetti centered the ball after a through from Ibarra, reaching a Guido to hit a volley inside the box, giving his team the lead once again.
In the 67th minute, the game went through a long VAR review after a possible foul inside the penalty area. After three minutes of reviewing, the referee called penalty after seeing a foul on Ariel Nahuelpan from Carlos Vargas. Vargas received a yellow card and a penalty was called in favor of Xolos. Gustavo Bou scored and set the game at 2-2 in the 71st minute.
Tijuana reacted with a surprise attack in the 76th minute that led to their third goal from Nahuelpan, as he took on Vargas and Marchesin, giving his team the lead for the first time.
With Xolos at 3-2, America wasn’t able to prevent their unexpected defeat, even after eleven minutes of extra time in the second half. Tijuana’s win places them in sixth place in the standings while America stays in fourth.
