It was not a pretty win, but nonetheless Club América was able to secure three points in the first game of the season against Querétaro. Now the Gallos will need to look towards game two against Pachuca while América will face Atlante at the Estadio Banorte.
Before the season kicked-off, many fans were not optimistic about the team and no one can blame them. Over the last few months the front office had allowed multiple important players to leave and then let André Jardine, their best coach in decades,
walk out too. The Aguilas went from one of the most feared teams in the league to a shell of what they used to be.
América’s lineup used to be full of firepower but last night’s starting XI was far from that. It also didn’t help that they were missing some very important players. Alejandro Zendejas and Luis Angel Malagon will be out for weeks due to injury but it looks like they might make their return in September. Meanwhile Sebastián Cáceres and Brian Rodriguez are still out on vacation from the World Cup but they should be back soon to help the team in a season that will be rocky to say the least.
The Aguilas had their first chance of the game in the 10th minute off a corner. Ramon Juárez made his way into the box as the defender is a big threat on set-pieces. On the subsequent kick the youngster was able to get his head on the ball but he was unable to move his head in the right direction towards goal. The visitors had another chance just a few minutes later when Cristian Borja made his way up the left flank and sent a ball into the box where Raphael Veiga was waiting unmarked. Veiga got his head on the pass but when he headed the ball towards goal he did not give it enough strength and the Gallos goalkeeper was able to punch the ball out. América then had a big chance to open the score in the 22nd minute when Henry Martin found himself in prime position to score. He received the ball in the box and he only had one player marking him but somehow he was unable to get the ball into the back of the net. Henry Martin from just a year ago would have had no issue scoring with a player blocking him but the Martin that has returned from injury is not the same one. He is still slow in the attack and isn’t as decisive as he used to be and it will take some time for him to get back to his old form. Querétaro then had multiple chances to score in the first half but they were unable to finish any of them. They had three opportunities from distance but Rodolfo Cota was able to punch them all out. These saves were then met with visible frustration from the goalkeeper who was seen yelling at his teammates for allowing the opponents with time and space to take these shots. No one could blame Cota for the anger as his defense was letting him down. América was very lucky that the Gallos were unable to finish their chances because if they had they would be down by halftime.
The second half started the same as the first, with América having to defend against the Gallos who had them locked in their half. Querétaro even had a big chance in front of goal in the 49th minute when Avi Avila found himself in the box but was unable to get the ball into the back of the net as he flicked the ball too high and it went into the stands instead. The Gallos were so close to opening the score but it looked like things were going to go like the first half for the Gallos who could not finish any of their chances. The game goes back and forth with both teams attempting to break the score but that all changed in the 67th minute. The Aguilas were awarded a free kick outside of the box where Veiga stepped up to take the kick. His attempt hit the wall in front of him and the América players immediately called for a handball in the box from one of the players in the wall. The referee said the ball did hit the Gallos player’s arm but it was tucked close to his body and rules dictate that it is not a penalty. However, the replays showed something different. When Diego Reyes jumped up to block the ball he stretched out his right arm, it was not close to his body like the referee said. This call had to be looked at and eventually VAR called the referee to the monitor. Reyes continued to argue that his arm was close to his body and that the referee got the original call correct but after watching the replays the referee changed his mind. He agreed that it was in fact a hand ball in the box and América was awarded a penalty. Henry Martin stepped up to take it and this was a big moment for him as the last penalty he took he missed. This time was no different as his shot was blocked by Allison.
After the missed penalty the game went on the same as both teams looked for a break they were unable to finish. That was until the 83rd minute when Isaias Violante took matters into his own hands. Martin found himself at the top of the box and with nowhere to go he sent the ball to Violante who was coming up the right flank. Violante then shot the ball as soon as it got to his feet and he blasted it past the arms of Allison to score the teams’ first goal of the season.
Now all América had to do was close out the game but things went wrong in the last minutes after Alan Cervantes was given his second yellow of the game resulting in ejection. It was a bad call from a youngster who was already sitting on a yellow card and all he had to do was see the game out. Now he will miss out on the second game against Atlante. Thankfully this expulsion didn’t wreck the team as they were able to finish out the game with a hard-fought win.
The first game of the season was not the best from Club América. They were able to win by the skin of their teeth but that won’t always happen. If it was any other team they would have been crushed by their opponents. They were lucky Querétaro were terrible finishers or it would have been another story. Now the Aguilas will put this game behind them as they look towards facing Atlante in Jornada two.
