With only four teams remaining, Liga MX Femenil’s semifinals had Club América vs Chivas on one side and Tigres vs Cruz Azul on the other. After four matches (two legs apiece), the Eagles and the Amazonians
ended up getting their tickets for the big final.
180 minutes of soccer await us, starting next Thursday.
América beats Chivas again in the playoffs
The Eagles didn’t have much of a problem beating Chivas in the two-leg bracket. A 2-0 result in the first leg and the same score in the second placed them comfortably in the final. There isn’t much to say about this bracket other than América looked far superior to its opponent. Scarlett Camberos and Kim Roríguez were the goal scorers in the first leg, while Nikki Hernández and Irene Guerrero were the goal scorers in the second.
After meeting five times in a playoff semifinal, América’s has beaten its rivals four times. Moreover, the five times they met in the quarterfinals, Chivas has always fallen short.
Off the field, Chivas’ coach Antonio Contreras has brought upon controversy since he arrived in Mexico. The man has made a reputation for himself of talking too much and having to pay for it on the pitch. “The Capital is red and white,” he said after being beaten 0-4 in the semifinals against its rival, América.
Fans and media alike didn’t take that comment well and word on the street says players are asking for a change at the helm.
Hats off to Cruz Azul’s season
Cruz Azul didn’t make things easy for Tigres. In the first leg, Tigres couldn’t do much more than get a 1-1 draw playing away.
For the second leg, the odds were on the Amazonians’ side, but ‘The Machine” fought hard to beat them. They had the chance to get ahead in the 15’ with a PK but Daniela Calderón missed it. Right after that, Tigres had a PK themselves, and Jennifer Hermoso didn’t miss.
The second half brought more action. Cruz Azul’s Solange Lemos was sent off in the 54th minute and 10 minutes later, Tigres found the back of the net again.
Cruz Azul pulled one back in the 89th, but four minutes of stoppage time weren’t enough to get the two goals they needed to advance to the final.
Despite the result, The Machine achieved its best season ever and even eliminated the reigning champions, Pachuca. They did a great job in the first leg, keeping their hopes alive for the second leg, something not easy at all for any team that plays against Tigres in the postseason.
The final
This will be the third time Tigres and Club América meet in a Championship final. What does history say?
It was Apertura 2018 when these teams met for the first time in a final, with the Eagles beating Tigres in a penalty shoot-out (3-1).
Both teams played another final in the Apertura 2022, with Tigres celebrating this time after a 3-0 result in the first leg and a 0-0 in the second. And only a year later, they met in a final once again with the same result (3-0).
Considering this upcoming two-leg final, América may arrive at this game in better shape and more motivated. However, Tigres has a long history in the playoffs and knows how to play them to get a result after 180 minutes.
Club América will not only have to battle the Amazonians but also itself. They have shown they’re very good at shooting themselves in the foot and that a strong mentality is something they don’t excel at.
What about the curses? Well, the most well-known is the one that says that any team that beats Chivas in the playoffs doesn’t win the championship. The other says that whoever wins the Clásico Regio (Rayadas vs Tigres) doesn’t win the championship. Which curse will be stronger and prevail?
