With a double by Rogério de Oliveira and goals by Diogo de Oliveira, debutant Jorge Ruvalcaba and Higor Meritão, Pumas beat Toluca 5-0 in the presentation of the teams in the Grita México Clausura 2022 tournament.
The groups began their activity one day later than planned due to the contagions that afflicted the Diablos team. Outside of their normal hours, the exterior of the University Olympic Stadium felt lonely, the security elements were reduced and even the resellers suffered the rearrangement of the game forced to sell the cheapest tickets. Official attendance was 8,493 people.
In this meeting, the technical director Ignacio Ambriz made his debut on the Toluca bench after a semester directing the Spanish SD Huesca in the old continent. He sent Gustavo Gutiérrez to goal and Alexis Canelo served as captain. Players like Leonardo Fernández, one of the reinforcements from Tigres, were left on the bench; Haret Ortega, Luis García and Michael Estrada.
The arrival of the Mexican strategist excited the scarlet fans with a curriculum that includes 140 wins, 85 draws, 100 setbacks, a MX League championship, a Cup championship and a Concacaf Champions League championship. But his debut in front of Toluca left a bitter taste in the mouth, as the university team, who arrived without reinforcements, dominated the match. Andrés Lillini’s squad registered four times more shots (12) than Toluca (3) in the first half, six in the direction of goal. Los Diablos, in turn, did not generate free shots to Alfredo Talavera’s frame after the first 45 minutes.
The Pumas could not count on their top scorer in recent seasons, Juan Ignacio Dinenno, due to the accumulation of cards, but the team was able to make up for the loss. With the assistance of Alan Mozo, one of the determining players in Pumas’s passage through the last Liguilla, the Brazilian Rogério de Oliveira was in charge of scoring the first goal of the game at minute 30, after the team had constantly threatened the goal.
Although Pumas suffered from a lack of goals during the last tournament, in the second half of the match he was uncovered with four goals. Marco García was unmarked to receive the ball and led it to the goal, where once he caught the attention of the goalkeeper and defenders, he assisted the Brazilian Diogo de Oliveira.
Rogério de Oliveira stood out with a Chilean goal to register a double. At minute 67, Jorge Ruvalcaba entered the exchange with number 198, who made his debut in the first division and seconds later, the youth squad also contributed to the wave of goals. Higor Meritão closed the golden presentation of Pumas with the fifth goal of the night.
“(Pumas) He was much superior to us. We did not know how to counteract that good dynamic that they always have. The result was very scandalous, they had many scoring chances. We were not good. I have barely a month working with the team, but also with the awareness that we are going to improve a lot “, analyzed Ignacio Ambriz at the end of the game. The strategist added that he has only to work and continue adapting to the team to improve.
The Pumas coach, Andrés Lillini, assured that the team has maintained the inertia of the last tournament, in which it had grown in “the ways of playing”.
Today he decided to go out with the contentions Leo López and Favio Álvarez, from where he considered that the game of the whole started.
“I think the match went through the two of them. Apart from playing at a high level, they put themselves on the defensive part, which is what is asked of them. I think that’s where our soccer circuit was born. We found a line of five from Toluca that we were able to bend mainly with the sides on the inside and always keeping people open on the outside. Later, when you have forcefulness, when you reach the goal and score the goals, everything is easier, the game opens up and you have more options ”.
Lillini is concerned that the team will keep their feet on the ground, even though she enjoys the victory, she is aware that the tournament is just beginning. In addition, he assured that he has the reinforcements he needs at home and that he defines the project of the consolidation of the youth players.
“We have to continue growing but I am happy with the squad I have, the only thing I asked of the board is to keep as many players as possible, because I believe in them so much that we are a very competitive team and we have to prove it that way. in this semester”.