What next for Chivas after Leagues Cup defeat?
The Mexican giants are now hanging from a thread after conceding a late Emil Forsberg strike.
Chivas paid a steep price for failing to capitalize on their first-half dominance, continuing their miserable run in the Leagues Cup. They are yet to win a single match in its new format.
On Thursday night, El Rebaño Sagrado kicked off their campaign in the third edition of the Liga MX vs. MLS competition with a disappointing 1–0 loss to the New York Red Bulls. The game looked destined for penalties, but a stoppage-time goal in the 96th minute sealed Chivas’ fate. While the tournament has only just begun, the red-and-whites are already on the brink of elimination.
Guadalajara started strong at Sport Illustrated Stadium, showing promise with nearly the same lineup that beat Atlético San Luis 4–3 last weekend. There were just two changes: Efraín Álvarez started in place of Cade Cowell, and Gilberto Sepúlveda replaced the injured Omar Govea.
The early signs were encouraging. In the fifth minute, Bryan “El Cotorro” González cut in from the left and fired a powerful shot that forced a save from the goalkeeper. Just three minutes later, the referee suffered an injury and had to be replaced by the fourth official.
Chivas created real danger in the 22nd minute when a defensive clearance fell to Richard Ledezma outside the box. He met it first-time with a thunderous right-footed strike that forced the keeper into a diving save. Just a minute later, Luis Romo broke into the box on the right but sent his shot wide.
New York spent much of the first half sitting deep. Their first real chance came in the 37th minute, when Mohammed Sofo led a counterattack and went one-on-one with Sepúlveda. The Chivas defender stood his ground and Sofo’s effort was easily collected by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel.
Guadalajara had another chance before halftime. Efraín Álvarez sprinted to chase down a through ball, slowed inside the box, and played a diagonal pass back to Alan Pulido. Pulido met it with a first-time shot across goal, but the Red Bulls keeper was there to make the save.
The second half told a different story. Chivas lost control of the game, and New York began to press higher and take more initiative. In the 50th minute, Julian Hall cut in from the right and blasted a shot just wide. The Red Bulls were growing into the match.
In the 53rd minute, New York had a corner from the left. After an initial flick at the near post, the ball bounced into the six-yard box, where Sofo headed it into the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. A lengthy VAR review confirmed the call, and Chivas breathed a sigh of relief.
By then, Guadalajara was struggling to create anything in the final third. In the 54th minute, Roberto Alvarado tried to spark some life with a curling left-footed shot from outside the box but the goalkeeper made a flying save to push it wide. The match was slipping away, and head coach Gabriel Milito began making changes in hopes of regaining control.
Goalkeeper Raúl “El Tala” Rangel stepped up with two brilliant saves to keep Chivas in the game. First, in the 67th minute, he blocked a powerful shot from Sofo at the near post. Then, in the 73rd, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting found himself alone in front of goal after a slick passing move. He rounded Rangel, but the keeper recovered just in time to make a crucial stop.
Milito’s substitutions helped Chivas regain some balance, but time was running out. The score remained deadlocked deep into stoppage time, until a moment of heartbreak struck in the 96th minute. The Red Bulls won a free kick on the edge of the box, and the danger was clear.
Emil Forsberg stepped up and struck a low, driven shot that rattled off the post and into the net. Rangel couldn’t react in time. Pandemonium for the home crowd. Crushing disappointment for Chivas, whose hopes of progressing in the tournament now hang by a thread. New York, meanwhile, walked away with three vital points.
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