The eighth week of Liga MX action is behind us, and it brought with it plenty of fascinating stories. The top teams are starting to distinguish themselves, and there were an unusual number of routs this weekend.
But even a team that we’ve decided is totally horrible showed some life this weekend, proving that anything is possible in this Liga MX season, except perhaps Chivas getting a victory.
Let’s take a deeper look at those stories as we bring you the best of the Liga MX weekend:
1. Tigres score four goals in last half-hour to trounce América
América was feeling pretty good heading into the final 20 minutes of Saturday’s contest against Tigres. The Mexico City club was leading Tigres 1-0 in the match of the weekend, which pitted two of Liga MX’s most successful clubs in recent history. Then, it all unraveled. Damian Alvarez found the equalizer for Tigres in the 72nd minute. America center back Pablo Aguilar got his second yellow card moments later and was sent off. Juninho converted the penalty kick.
And to add a touch of flair, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Rafael Sóbis scored within a minute of each other. Tigres had flexed their muscle as the team to beat in Liga MX – at least if they can put in those types of performances consistently. Now both sides turn their attention to the second leg of CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. América goes home to the Estadio Azteca tied 2-2 with the Seattle Sounders, while Tigres head to Real Salt Lake with a 2-0 advantage.
2. Omar Bravo penalty saved as Chivas continue winless
Does Chivas even want to win? The legendary Mexican club is still searching for its first victory of the season, but they didn’t get it in week eight. It wasn’t that Tijuana didn’t try to help out. The Xolos attack rarely troubled Chivas, except when it caused Edwin Hernández to deflect a cross into his own net.
Chivas had another chance to overcome the own goal and finally get three points, when Elio Castro was sent off in the 58th minute. Omar Bravo, the club’s leading scorer all-time but a player who hasn’t scored since last year, stepped up to take the resulting penalty and it was saved.
3. Cruz Azul thrashes first-place Monterrey
It looked like the teams had switched shirts. Cruz Azul has a well-earned reputation as a club that will give supporters hope and then fall flat, while Monterrey has been the league’s best team so far this tournament. But after storming back for a draw in a rivalry match last weekend, Cruz Azul scored from a set piece in the 10th minute to go up early.
Where was the let down? It never came. Jorge Benitez added a first-half double (before getting sent off for his second yellow in stoppage time) and Chaco Giménez scored a goal of his own as Cruz Azul extended its unbeaten streak to five matches in Liga MX and nine across all competitions. Monterrey stays atop the league in defeat, though manager Antonio Mohamed will be trying to figure out what happened to his shell-shocked team.
4. Chiapas proves training doesn’t matter
It was a hectic week for Chiapas, as the team protested the club being late on wage by not showing up to training. Manager Ricardo La Volpe helped get things sorted and players paid, and the team went through its normal preparation in the final two days leading up to the match.
Maybe it just made los Jaguares fresher. Silvio Romero definitely benefited. The Argentine striker chipped William Yarbrough to open the scoring in the 32nd minute and two minutes later got a soft touch onto a cross to add a second. Jaguares added a third and closed out the match with a 3-1 victory. Surely they’ve earned their paychecks.
5. Relegation-threatened Dorados get first points
We’re now down to two Liga MX teams without a victory, and it was the most unlikely of the trio remaining heading into week eight that broke the spell. Dorados, who hadn’t managed to get a single point through seven weeks, converted a penalty in the 30th minute. Just after the break, Gonzalo Bergessio equalized for Atlas. And while Dorados might have taken a point, Jairo Gonzalez stuck with his own deflected volley and guided it back home to give Dorados their first win of the season.
Despite Saturday’s triumph, the club is still almost certainly doomed to relegation, thanks to Mexico’s system that takes the last six tournaments into account. Since the Sinaloa side was promoted last summer, they have just two tournaments to count while Chivas and Morelia can fall back on previous successes…or at least previous seasons that were a little better than the one they’re mired in now in Chivas’ case.