Liga MX playoffs: Advantage Atlas with win over Chivas as Tigres outmuscle Toluca

Thursday night’s Clasico Tapatio saw Atlas record a narrow 1-0 against Chivas in the quarter-final of the Clausura 2023 with everything to play for in Sunday’s leg.

Atlas

• México

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Chivas boss Paunovic was adamant post game that his side are capable of turning the tie around aware that a draw over two legs would see his team advance by virtue of their higher final placing in the 2023 Liga MX regular season.

Once both sides shook of the shackles and tension of a high profile derby game it was Chivas who started the better as Carlos Cisneros almost opened the scoring after a fine assist from Alan Mozo. Soon after Camilo Vargas saw a fine effort deflected wide as the ‘Sacred Flock’ looked to strike early.

Atlas slowly started to regain composure and had a big call for a penalty as Julián Quiñones released Ozziel Herrera, who was clipped by Chivas defender Jesús Gilberto Orozco Chiquete and despite the pleas from the ‘Foxes’ players and fans in the stadium, match official Marco Antonio Ortiz brushed aside the protests.

A missed penalty from Chivas before the half hour mark as ‘El Pulpo’ Vargas saved well had the Atlas fans in raptured before the Jalisco Stadium erupted shortly before the interval as Julián Quiñones scored the only goal of the contest as the Colombian drilled home on the 42nd minute.

The second period saw Chivas push as they hunted for an equaliser and their forays forward, on occasion gifted space to Atlas on the counter and Ozziel Herrera and Quiñones could have added to the scoreline as Chivas took risk after risk.

The focus now moves onto Chivas’ Akron Stadium for the second installment of the Derby Tapatio on Sunday evening with Atlas holding a slender advantage over their eternal rival.

Tigres too strong for Toluca

Tigres were forced to come from behind to beat Toluca 4-1 with the Nuevo Leon outfit taking a major step towards a place in the semi-finals of the Clausura 2023.

Leo Fernández stunned the crowd at ‘El Volcan’ in the eighth minute with a stunning free-kick as he surprised everyone with a low effort to put the visitors ahead.

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The goal seemed to force a reaction from Tigres and they duly replied hitting three first half goals to put the university side in a commanding position with Cordova, Gignac and Vignon on target.

Nicolas Lopez added a fourth in the 72nd minute to put the game beyond doubt and only the most optimistic of Toluca fans feel that the will have a chance of advancing in Sunday’s second leg at the Estadio Nemesio Díez.

Atlas

• 12 Camilo Vargas
• 15 Diego Zaragoza
• 14 Luis Reyes
• 2 Nervo
• 13 Gaddi Aguirre
• 26 Aldo Rocha
• 7 Jonathan Herrera (74')
• 29 Brian Lozano
• 18 Ángel Márquez (85')
• 9 Julio César (85')
• 33 Julián Quiñones
• Substitutes
• 1 José Hernández
• 57 Christopher Trejo
• 20 Jesús Ocejo
• 21 Carlos Robles
• 5 Anderson Santamaría
• 17 Jaziel Ismael Martinez
• 8 Anibal Chala
• 4 Abella (74')
• 6 Edgar Zaldivar (85')
• 11 Mauro Manotas (85')

Chivas

• 23 Miguel Jiménez
• 26 Cristian Calderón (82')
• 2 Alan Mozo
• 53 Jesús Gilberto Orozco Chiquete
• 3 Gilberto Sepúlveda
• 10 Ernesto Vega (58')
• 5 Víctor Guzmán
• 28 Fernando Gonzalez (58')
• 20 Fernando Beltrán (58')
• 24 Carlos Cisneros
• 25 Roberto Alvarado (70')
• Substitutes
• 19 Alejandro Mayorga (82')
• 17 Jesús Sánchez
• 11 Isaac Brizuela (58')
• 50 Pavel Pérez (58')
• 29 Alan Eduardo Torres (58')
• 18 Ronaldo Cisneros (70')
• 4 Briseño
• 30 Sergio Flores
• 27 José Rangel
• 33 Zahid Muñoz

Substitutions

Pavel Pérez (58', Fernando Beltrán), Isaác Brizuela (58', Alexis Vega), Alan Torres (58', Rubén González), Ronaldo Cisneros (70', Roberto Alvarado), Javier Abella (74', Ozziel Herrera), Alejandro Mayorga (82', Cristian Calderón), Édgar Zaldívar (85', Jeremy Márquez), Mauro Manotas (85', Julio Furch)

Goals

1-0, 42': Julián Quiñones

Cards

Referee: Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava
VAR Referee: Ismael Rosario Lopez Penuelas, Guillermo Pacheco Larios
Julián Quiñones (13',Yellow) Fernando Gonzalez (36',Yellow) Aldo Rocha (44',Yellow) Cristian Calderón (70',Yellow)