América players celebrate with Diego Valdés after his controversial goal put the Aguilas up 2-0. América clinched a Liga MX playoff spot with their win Tuesday night. (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)
High-flying Aguilas soar past Tuneros to win 8th straight
América’s Henry Martín (right) watches as his shot heads toward the net to give his team a 3-0 lead in minute 56. The goal was his eighth of the season, tops in Liga MX. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images)
América extended its win streak to a franchise record-tying eight with a dominant 3-0 win over visiting Atlético de San Luis and clinched a playoff berth in the process.
The high-flying Aguilas sit atop the Liga MX table with 28 points from 13 games – tied with Monterrey but ahead on goal differential (+18 to +13). The Rayados posted a 3-2 win over Cruz Azul to keep pace with América as well as claim a spot in the Liga MX postseason but they have played 14 games.
Earlier Tuesday, León and FC Juárez matched body blows – and red cards (each team finished the game with 10 men) – before the host Esmeraldas limped away with a 1-0 win. Meanwhile, Santos Laguna climbed into third place with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Necaxa.
Final Midweek Matchday of the Apertura 2022
The third and final Midweek Matchday continues Wednesday with five contests, the most attractive being fifth-place Toluca visiting sixth-place Tigres and ninth-place Puebla hosting fourth-place Pachuca. Both of those matches take place at 7 pm local time.
The three other Matchday 13 clashes find two-time defending Liga MX champs Atlas trying to salvage its season at Mazatlán FC, last-place Querétaro aiming to defeat visiting UNAM and send the Pumas into the cellar and Guadalajara putting its five-game unbeaten streak on the line during a road game at Tijuana.
Chasing a Liga MX record
Table-topping América spent most of the first half at Estadio Azteca sleepwalking against the Tuneros but they were aided and abetted by some rather one-sided refereeing as the game progressed.
Abel Hernández was denied a goal in minute 4 that would have put the visitors ahead, but the goal was annulled for a pushing foul. The infraction was minor but sufficient to warrant the call, so we’ll set that aside. However, América defender Néstor Araujo was forgiven a clear yellow card about 10 minutes later and Pedro Aquino was knocking down Tuneros in the middle of the pitch with impunity and he was not warned until a particularly egregious foul in minute 33.
Just before the half, Jonathan Rodríguez corralled a nifty diagonal pass from Diego Valdés and fired home past Marcelo Barovero to put the Aguilas up 1-0.
The game remained even early in the second half until Valdés poked home the rebound of his own blocked shot. However, Valdés had won the ball initially with a foul every bit as similar as the one that annulled Hernández’s early goal yet no call was made. San Luis had every reason to be aggrieved, but before they could recover their focus, Henry Martín knocked home América’s third.
The score might have been worse except Barovero stopped a Martín penalty shot in minute 89. Even so, the América striker now has 8 goals (tops in Liga MX) and the Aguilas have a comfortable goal differential.
“Los Azulcremas” next play Necaxa as they have their eyes on the Liga MX record for consecutive wins, but it won’t be easy. Necaxa (1934-35 season), León (Clausura 2019) and Cruz Azul (Guardianes 2021) each won 12 games in a row. Necaxa and Cruz Azul went on to claim the title, while León lost in the Liga MX Finals.
