By Edgardo Avelar
Nov 22, 2024, 01:25 AM EST
The goalkeeper of the Mexican national team, Luis Malagón enhanced his image as a hero of the Águilas del América by saving two penalties that allowed the current two-time Mexican soccer champion to win in penalty kicks with a score of 3-2 Xolos Tijuana and thus advance to the quarterfinals of the Apertura 2024 tournament.
A great performance by the American goalkeeper who put the icing on the cake with the penalties stopped against Colombian Christian Rivera and Aarón Mejía in the penalty shoot-outs and who saved the Americanists from a “paper” as the border squad started in good shape. wrong penalty shots with two missed, and thus put América in the quarterfinals to face Toluca next week.
But America, with the failures of Alejandro Zendejas and the Spanish Álvaro Fidalgo, allowed the Xolos to revive in this distressing definition of penalty shots to play a toss up between the Uruguayan Rodrigo Aguirre and Aarón Mejía, where the American player had more composure to beat the goalkeeper of the border eleven and, in exchange, the Xolos defender gave it to the body to Malagón .
America rose from its ashes
The reality of the 90 minutes is that Xolos had everything to defeat América and although the two-time champion never stopped fighting, on two occasions the team led by the Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio had the Coapa team on the ropes, but they never thought that the expulsion of the Chilean Nicolás Díaz would open the door to the reaction of the current team. monarchs to tie in the agonizing 90th minute with a goal from Colombian Cristian Borja and send the game to penalties.
Because before that Xolos had América down on the scoreboard twice with the scores of the Spanish Unai Bilbao in the 14th minute, with a header in the area that kept the home team with the advantage until the 50th minute when the Uruguayan Brian Rodríguez, with a crossed shot with his right leg, put the game into play. to your team.
But the border squad did not lower its arms and two minutes later, in a serious error by defender Israel ReyesColombian José “La Pantera” Zúñiga stole the ball and went all the way down the left side to get into the area to beat Malagón and regain the lead, 2-1.
From that moment on, America did everything to try to tie, but Xolos, very well organized, held on for 20 minutes. until the Chilean Nicolás Díaz was sent off in the 73rd minute for a strong entrance.
That was the signal that the American team was waiting for and almost at the end, when the clock was dying, a cross came from the right from Zendejas on the diagonal that Colombian Cristian Borja shot into the goal to beat goalkeeper Toño Rodríguez and send the game to the fateful penalties..
Malagón with the hero’s cape
In the penalty shootout, Luis Malagón shone with saved shots against Colombian Christian Rivera and Aarón Mejía and made his image bigger to encourage America to rise from the ashes.
Continue reading:
-America with 90 percent of its starters for the play-in vs. Xolos
-André Jardine is confident that América will not be bothered by the absences and will beat Xolos
-They choose a controversial referee for the Tijuana vs. play-in. America