Liga MX Apertura 2020 match recap: Club Tijuana Xolos 0, Chivas de Guadalajara 0

Neither Tijuana coach Pablo Guidi nor Chivas coach Victor Manuel Vucic are known for embracing attractive and offensive football, and the match between Xolos and Chivas did not change anything to change this as the two teams played in a 0-0 draw at Estadio Caliente. Jonathan Orozco got his third lockdown of the season while Raul Godinho got his first match.

Chivas started the match completely, kept possession and moving as he pleased. Jose Juan Macias got a brilliant opportunity in the second minute when he curled the ball but Jonathan Orozco saved well to keep the ball out. Chivas made another promising run in the seventh minute, but a cross pass missed the goal and allowed Xolos to get a throw in the goal. Tijuana had its first chance two minutes later when Fabian Castillo flew into the left flank and hit a superb back pass. To Luis Leal, who started his Tijuana debut. Leal’s run was perfectly timed, but the Chivas defender managed to touch the ball to keep it off target.

Both sides looked somewhat dangerous in seizures and initiation, although both were prone to self-inflicted injury. Tijuana often attempted passes that ended up pushing off limits while Chivas was apparently just shooting to shoot. Tijuana had a great chance in the 35th minute when Castillo made a superb move to bypass the defense and hit the ball forward for Christian Rivera, but the ball was saved well. In the corner kick that followed, Edgar Lopez hit the crossbar, and in the ensuing clash, Lenez shot it, but the referee deemed goalkeeper Raul Godinho was shocked and canceled the goal.

As the first half ended, the coaching machines of both teams began to push and shout at each other. They will eventually split up and head to their locker rooms.

The second half began as a continuation of the first half, with the coaches shouting at each other. Neither team posed too much of a threat to the other until the 53rd minute when Tijuana was finally able to put together a decent sequence that ended with Leal in Gudiño and taking a shot, trying to break the goalkeeper. Gudiño was able to sit on the shot as it passed between his legs, and Leal Lake grabbed it.

Fabian Castillo had a good chance in the 68th minute when he managed to pierce the trap on the side and head the ball, but Godinho got the ball and managed to stop the opportunity easily. Chivas has a good chance in the 72nd minute when Hiram Mir knocked off a set piece just inches from hitting a header from Antonio Presinho. Instead of calling the ball, he reached out to Jonathan Orozco and both players spent some time on the field in pain but were able to get rid of it and continue.

Xolos had a good amount of possession on Chivas’ box in the 85th minute, but a shot missed. Then at 86, Kevin Ballanta hit a shot from distance that Godinho forced a save. But neither team managed to break through and score the winning goal, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Tijuana will use the international break to play a make-up match against Santos Laguna on Sunday 11 October in Torreon and then face Necaxa in Aguascalientes on Friday 16 October. Chivas on the other hand will host Atlas in the Clésico Tapatio on Saturday, October 17th.

Tijuana Club: Jonathan Orozco, Aldo Cruz, Victor Guzman, Jordan Silva, Vladimir Lauronia; Mauro Lenez, Christian Rivera, Kevin Ballanta, Edgar Lopez (Brian Angulo, 54 minutes); Fabian Castillo (Clifford Aboaghi, 79d), Louis Lyell (David Barbona, 79d)

Guadalajara: Raؤولl Godinho Christian Calderon (Miguel Ponce, 87 d), Antonio Presinho, Hiram Mir, Jesus Sanchez; Jess Angulo (Fernando Beltran, 66 minutes), Jose Juan Vásquez, Isaac Brizuela, Uriel Antona (Angel Zaldivar, 85 minutes); Alexis Vega (Uribe Peralta, 85 ‘), Jose Juan Macias (Dieter Villalbando, 66’)

Scoring: Tijuana Club – nothing; Guadalajara – nothing

Disciplinary: Club Tijuana – Fabian Castillo (yellow – 37 minutes); Guadalajara – nothing