MEXI-JUANA
Club Tijuana 3-1 CD Toluca; LIGA Bancomer MX-2014 Clausura; Week 14
TIJUANA –Dario Benedetto, Javier Guemez and Cristian Pellerano scored for Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente in a 3-1 win against Club Deportivo Toluca Friday night in a Week 14 match of the LIGA Bancomer MX-2014 Clausura at Estadio Caliente.
Benedetto scored in the first half while Guemez and Pellerano found the net for the Xoloitzcuintles in the second. The win gives Club Tijuana three more points in the league standings. Coach Cesar Farias’ team moves into the top eight spots needed to reach the playoffs heading into the weekend with a 6-6-2 record and 20 points. Three regular season matches remain in the schedule.
“I have to say our players deserve the win tonight and maybe deserved more for the way they moved the ball and created chances at goal,” Farias said. “Xolos was superior tonight.”
Club Tijuana took a 1-0 lead when Benedetto headed in a Fidel Martinez centered pass from left to right into the area. Benedetto out-jumped his defender and headed the ball past Toluca goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera in the 28th minute. Benedetto sent his shot just inside the right post to give the home team the lead. The lead didn’t last long. Toluca tied the match 1-1 with a goal by Jorge Sartiaguin in the 32nd minute. Sartiaguin sent a shot fro about 40 yards out. The ball bounced in front of Saucedo who couldn’t control it, slipping out of his grip into the Xoloitzcuintles net. But Club Tijuana, who wore green jerseys in support of the Mexican National Team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, insisted.
Guemez gave the Xoloitzcuintles the lead again in the 56th minute when he sent a blast from just inside the penalty area past Talavera, low and just inside the right post. Pellerano sealed the win for the Xoloitzcuintles when he converted a penalty kick in the 73rd minute. Pellerano buried the ball into the upper right corner of the net to finish the penalty. Toluca was whistled for the penalty after Joe Corona was taken down in the area as he charged the goal.
Farias sent Saucedo, Javier Gandolfi, Hernan Pellerano, Edgar Castillo, Juan Carlos Nuñez, Fernando Arce, Corona, Pellerano, Guemez, Martinez and Benedetto to start the match. Alberto Garcia, Richard Ruiz and Gregory Garza were second half substitutes.
The Xoloitzcuintles will next travel to Mexico City to face Cruz Azul FC in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals Wednesday April 9. Club Tijuana leads the series with a 1-0 aggregate goal after beating Cruz Azul 1-0 Tuesday night in the first leg at Estadio Caliente.
Club Tijuana will then travel to Monterrey to face Tigres UANL in a LIGA Bancomer MX-2014 Clausura Week 15 match Saturday April 12.
