TIJUANA, BC. – Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente played a very intelligent game today, and demonstrated why they have been a team who has not been beaten in 16 consecutive games now, by beating the Rayados of Monterrey today with a final global score of 2-1, and also for the first time in their history the team has made it to the semifinals round in the Liga MX.

The match was the second game out of 2 that was played today at their home field, as part of the quarter finals match of the Apertura tournament 2012 in division one of the Mexican soccer league.

The game:

Just as expected for Monterrey to try to take control of the game, because they were behind in the global score by one goal, they were not able to maintain possession of the ball only a few minutes after the start of the game, which at the 12th minute of the first half Pablo Cesar Aguilar from Xolos appeared and tried to score a goal with a spectacular header, but did not succeed.

Xolos began to take control of the ball and of the game a bit more, and started to attack offensively but the goalie Jonathan Orozco stood his ground firmly and successfully defended his arch.

Monterrey had a good opportunity at minute 42 to score against Xolos, where Cesar "Chelito" Delgado took a shot at goal from all the way outside of the goalie box, but Cirilo Saucedo blocked the shot and controlled it very well.

Two minutes after a play that Duvier Riascos made where he went up against the goalie one on one, he was not able to score after he tried to shake the goalie off by going to his left, where Jonathan Orozco barely was able to cut him off, but was hurt momentarily in the play and laid in the field, which Xolos would end the first half still in pursuit of that first goal.

In the second half of the game Riascos had one more chance to score, but the goalie from Monterrey continued defending his goal accurately.

Xoloitzcuintles continue to put pressure on Monterrey throughout the game, and was able to get a corner kicked which Leandro Augusto would kicked the ball and tried to serve a pass right into the center of the goalie box in front of the arch, where the Paraguayan player Aguilar jump in between two defenders and made contact with the ball and sent it into the net opening the score and putting Xolos ahead in the game 1-0.

Now in the extra minutes that were added to compensate for lost time, Jose Basanta from Monterrey was able to score against Cirilo Saucedo, but that was not enough for the team to beat Xolos who in the global score won and made their way into the semifinals with a 2-1 final score.

This is how the game looked to end where the referee Roberto Garcia blew his whistle for the end of the match, sending Xolos into the next round of the tournament.

Manuel.Medina@sandiegored.com

Translation : Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com