EL SALVADOR – Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles opened up their participation in another international tournament with a 0-0 draw on the road to the current El Salvador champions Luis Angel Firpo. The match lacked big emotions and each team walk away with a point.

The game was part of group seven of the CONCACAF Champion’s League where these two teams also share the group with Club Deportivo Victoria of Honduras.

THE GAME:

The early minutes of the match was very even and close. Both teams were seeing what the other had. Tijuana Xolos took a slight control of the match around the 15th minute.

Even though Xolos controlled the ball slightly better than the host, they still couldn’t fina a away to create much danger on goal. Set pieces were the most effective ways of getting close to opening the score. In the 32nd minute Fidel Martinez took a corner kick on the left side of the field that Cerda got a head to in the center of the box, Pablo Aguilar was in the second post and had an open shot on goal, but the ball sailed over the cross bar.

Two minutes later in the 34th Fernando Arce received a foul just outside of the box, perfect distance from where he has scored multiple goals in the past. Arce took the free kick and hit the right post of the goal in what was the closest the Xolos got to scoring in this match.

The local Firpo squad had their best chance of the match one minute before half time. Also on a corner kick the ball was left on the ground after a failed attempt at a header by both attacker and defender. From the ground the Firpo forward had a shot on goal that Cirilo Saucedo barely got at stop on the goal line.

In the second half the game evened out even more. Firpo looked to attack a little more with speedy counterattacks, and Xolos kept playing with the possession of the ball. The match became cut down due to multiple fouls by both teams, this casued the goal scoring opportunities to be a minimum during the second half.

The best chance of the second half came in the 71st minute on a corner kick, Fidel Martinez got a free header, but the ball went straight to the hands of the Salvadorian goalkeeper.

Tijuana Xolos will now return to the border where they will host Pumas UNAM at the Estadio Caliente on Friday night. Their next game in the CONCACAF Champion’s League will be on Tuesday August 20 when they visit Honduras to take on CD Victoria.

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jonny.rico@sandiegored.com (@jonyrico)