Toluca puts Santos Laguna on the ropes

The quarter-finals between Toluca and Santos Laguna were lived on the edge of the seat. The scarlet team came from behind and defeated the team from Torreón 4-3, who necessarily need a win at home to advance to the semifinals.

“This is the league, there are two games, you have to know how to pass the moments, for or against, pass them, maintaining the intensity. We have given proof of what this team has been in the tournament in terms of offensive vocation. We were the best place. We need to be more efficient in our arrivals and pressure on the wings”, said Eduardo Fentanes, coach of Santos, after the game.

The scoreboard looked like a roulette wheel. Carlos González took four minutes to open the scoring at home; two minutes later, Camilo Sanvezzo added a goal to make it 2-0, but before going to rest, Santos managed to tie the score 2-2, with Fernando Gorriarán scoring in the 30th minute via penalty, and the other by Harold Preciado at 38′.

In the second chapter of the game the persecution began. The Laguneros broke the tie with Eduardo Aguirre’s goal at 49′, and at 73, the fate of the Devil made the tie 3-3 thanks to Sanvezzo. The round-trip match could not end in a draw. In the 90th minute, a handball in the area by the Laguneros forced the penalty to be awarded by goalkeeper Tiago Volpi. The Brazilian is the third goalkeeper with a goal in the Apertura 2022, along with Carlos Acevedo (Santos) and Julio González (Pumas). Toluca cut Santos a streak of five straight games without losing.

“Tiago have great technical hitting quality, that’s why we took advantage. We started winning, with good dynamics, but after the 2-0 we didn’t turn well, I made adjustments in the second half and with that, the team got back on track”, explained coach Ignacio Ambriz.

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