In an animated game, Morelia comes out on top and puts America in a precarious position
By: C.I. Sanchez
Morelia took an early 1-0 head start in the 16th minute and never let go of its lead. Now, America will have to figure out a master plan to overcome its slight 1-2 deficit. Tomas Boy, Morelia’s animated manager, must certainly be happy with the way his team defended and took advantage of its few attacking opportunities.
Minus a mishap in the 69th minute, the Morelia backline had a fairly solid performance. For a squad that allowed an unexpected 24 goals during the regular season of the Clausura, goalkeeper Federico Vilar had his defenders cover the 18-yard box quite well.
America has one of the best attacks in the league; yet it was held to 12 shots, 3 on goal. Particularly impressive was Enrique Perez, who smartly saved a shot headed towards an empty net when America’s Vicente Sanchez beat Vilar.
Unfortunately for America, its defensive frailty showed again. This was not one of Morelia’s strongest games. In fact, the Monarcas were held to a paltry 5 shots, 3 on goal. Both goals stunningly beat goalkeeper Memo Ochoa yet one must wonder why Morelia was given so much freedom in the box. Keep in mind that America had been called for offsides four times; Morelia, not once! Strikers Elias Hernandez and Rafael Marquez Lugo easily penetrated forward and, in fact, probably should have taken greater advantage of the openness!
The defensive advantage surely was with Morelia. Will America be able to fix its Achilles’ heel in time for the second match?
Although both teams were not defensively outstanding during the Clausura 2011, one thing that they both shared was an offensive prowess. America’s Angel Reyna ended the regular season as the leading goalscorer with 13 goals. Morelia’s Marquez Lugo was not far behind with 9 goals. Impressively, both teams scored 31 goals during the season—the highest in the league. By last night’s standards, the 1-2 scoreline was a disappointment. Surely, each team is more than capable of knocking in a few more goals.
Once again Marquez Lugo was solid for Morelia. His powerful strike kept the team buoyant and spirited. Had America not scored in the 69th minute, the Monarcas would be in a far more jubilant mood. Alas Daniel Marquez Palacios played spoiler and gave America a thread of hope.
Things were so irregular during the game that defender Manuel Perez scored for Morelia—his first of the year! Usually hot Reyna Martinez went relatively quite for America and was held to 2 shots.
At the final whistle, the Morelia supports had a communal sigh of relief. Meanwhile, some unruly America fan (or fans) threw a cup of beer at Boy, which hit the manager in the back. Needless to say, he was not amused. It was a lively start and a lively finish. Hopefully, the next match will provide just as much entertainment.
Morelia took an early 1-0 head start in the 16th minute and never let go of its lead. Now, America will have to figure out a master plan to overcome its slight 1-2 deficit. Tomas Boy, Morelia’s animated manager, must certainly be happy with the way his team defended and took advantage of its few attacking opportunities.
Minus a mishap in the 69th minute, the Morelia backline had a fairly solid performance. For a squad that allowed an unexpected 24 goals during the regular season of the Clausura, goalkeeper Federico Vilar had his defenders cover the 18-yard box quite well.
America has one of the best attacks in the league; yet it was held to 12 shots, 3 on goal. Particularly impressive was Enrique Perez, who smartly saved a shot headed towards an empty net when America’s Vicente Sanchez beat Vilar.
Unfortunately for America, its defensive frailty showed again. This was not one of Morelia’s strongest games. In fact, the Monarcas were held to a paltry 5 shots, 3 on goal. Both goals stunningly beat goalkeeper Memo Ochoa yet one must wonder why Morelia was given so much freedom in the box. Keep in mind that America had been called for offsides four times; Morelia, not once! Strikers Elias Hernandez and Rafael Marquez Lugo easily penetrated forward and, in fact, probably should have taken greater advantage of the openness!
The defensive advantage surely was with Morelia. Will America be able to fix its Achilles’ heel in time for the second match?
Although both teams were not defensively outstanding during the Clausura 2011, one thing that they both shared was an offensive prowess. America’s Angel Reyna ended the regular season as the leading goalscorer with 13 goals. Morelia’s Marquez Lugo was not far behind with 9 goals. Impressively, both teams scored 31 goals during the season—the highest in the league. By last night’s standards, the 1-2 scoreline was a disappointment. Surely, each team is more than capable of knocking in a few more goals.
Once again Marquez Lugo was solid for Morelia. His powerful strike kept the team buoyant and spirited. Had America not scored in the 69th minute, the Monarcas would be in a far more jubilant mood. Alas Daniel Marquez Palacios played spoiler and gave America a thread of hope.
Things were so irregular during the game that defender Manuel Perez scored for Morelia—his first of the year! Usually hot Reyna Martinez went relatively quite for America and was held to 2 shots.
At the final whistle, the Morelia supports had a communal sigh of relief. Meanwhile, some unruly America fan (or fans) threw a cup of beer at Boy, which hit the manager in the back. Needless to say, he was not amused. It was a lively start and a lively finish. Hopefully, the next match will provide just as much entertainment.
