Club América’s nine-game streak of dominance came to an end as Santos put Las Águilas beyond their means for most of the match. However, a late own goal gave the hosts a good sign and a well-executed goal allowed the hosts to salvage a tie.
While it was America who took the first lead on the belonging, it was Santos who had the primary thorough search in the fourth moment when Juan Brunetta made a wonderful run into the container before being wrecked. The ball went to Harold Preciado, but his shot went wide.
A brief investigation by the VAR authorities ruled that the contact was negligible and play was allowed. Santos equalized in the seventh when Carlos Orrantia drove deep and passed the ball back to Leo Suárez.
The former American winger cut through the security of his previous group and unleashed a blow that defeated Guillermo “Reminder” Ochoa.
The wild game ends América’s nine-game streak as Santos draws 3-3.
The lead was very short-lived, however, in light of the fact that América went down on the following opening shot and former Santos midfielder Diego “El Mago” Valdés hit a long-range shot that Carlos Acevedo saved. Henry Martín got to the rebound anyway and placed it into the top of the empty net for the setters.
The game picked up a frenetic pace, and America was clearly confident that fast plays would help with confusing Santos’ interlocking defense. Anyway, Santos did well to have players drop back and help fill holes in the defense and block passes.
In attack, Santos tried to slow down, showed poised restraint and didn’t hesitate to use the back pass early and often. It paid off when Leo Suárez drove down and hit a shot on the line. It cleared Néstor Araújo’s deflection off the back and past Ochoa to give Santos the lead again.
Santos’s strategy
In the twentieth moment, when Fernando Gorriarán got a lot of reality just behind the highest point of the case, Santos had one more. He hit a shot that beat Ochoa, but it hit the post and went out of bounds. Then, at that moment, in the 26th, Valdés hit a swinging shot from the ground that forced Acevedo into a fabulous save.
The rest of the half calmed down from the pace of the opening segment of the half, with neither group breaking much, save for (another) ex-Santos player Jonathan “Cabecito” Rodríguez’s late shot that went wide.
The final part also got off to a quiet start, but in the 51st minute, America hit a free kick that Acevedo saved. He sent the ball quickly down the pitch to Juan Brunetta, who saw Memo Ochoa off his line and set himself up for a touch, but the ball flew over the crossbar and into the top netting.
America had a great opportunity in the 55th when Diego Valdés sent Miguel Layún on target. His shot was deflected off Acevedo and hit the post, leaving Layún, Acevedo and Roni Prieto in a tangle along the goal line.
Anyway, Santos pulled ahead in the 63rd moment when he hit America on the counter. Harold Preciado played Juan Brunetta forward and Brunetta attacked the outline on which Memo Ochoa stopped. Preciado never stopped running anyway and got back to the rebound and tapped it in.
