The playoffs for the 2022 Liga MX opening tournament are now history. After 4 spectacular matches, we know the teams that complete the key in the quarterfinals of the Liguilla. So, they will face in double matches the TOP 4 of the general classification.
The matches were played with a lot of intensity and, above all, with spectacular emotions. However, we can boast that our predictions regarding the winners of the 4 matches were completely fulfilled.
In the first match of this playoff, Tigres UANL pulled out all the stops that have characterized them in recent tournaments and defeated a Necaxa that did not put up much resistance. However, they did have opportunities to take the lead after Javier Aquino was sent off in the 20th minute.
Cruz Azul continues to show what would be a spectacular revival in this tournament. So, with the 1-0 victory over León, they have now won five consecutive matches and hope to continue their winning streak to qualify for the semifinals.
Toluca showed their supremacy in this match against Juarez, who was unable to do anything in their first playoff appearance in their history. Finally, Puebla and Guadalajara gave us the best match of the weekend, which ended the 90 minutes with a 1-1 draw and was defined by penalties, where Puebla was able to take the victory 5-4 after Ricardo Angulo missed Chivas’ fourth shot.
In other words, Tigres, Cruz Azul, Toluca, and Puebla join Santos, Pachuca, Monterrey, and América as the 8 best teams of this 2022 Liga MX opening tournament and will play the first legs of the Liguilla quarterfinals starting this Wednesday, October 12.
Liga MX Playoffs Results – Tigres UANL vs. Necaxa – Info
When: Saturday, October 08 at 08:00 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Tigres UANL -173 / Necaxa +490 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +310
Where Can I Watch it? Fox Sports / Fanatiz
In the first match played in this playoff, Tigres UANL was able to take advantage of its home advantage to defeat a Necaxa team that was unable to take advantage of playing with one extra player for 30 minutes, after Javier Aquino was sent off at minute 20, in a match that ended with a 2-0 score thanks to two goals by André-Pierre Gignac. The Frenchman has just equaled Alberto García Aspe as the third-highest goal scorer in history; with 28 goals in Liga MX final stages.
Tigres managed to settle in very well on the field with their 10 players, never suffering the absence of their teammate. Even less so after André-Pierre Gignac opened the scoring at minute 60, with a spectacular shot into the corner from a free kick where Luis Malagón could do nothing.
Thirteen minutes later, the Frenchman once again shook the Necaxa net with a stunning header from Raymundo Fulgencio’s right-wing cross.
With this result, Tigres became the fifth team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Liguilla, where they will face Pachuca.
Result: Tigres UANL (2) – (0) Necaxa
Liga MX Playoffs Results – León vs. Cruz Azul – Info
When: Saturday, October 08 at 08:15 pm ET
Moneyline odds: León +236 / Cruz Azul +120 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +236
Where Can I Watch it? Fox Sports / Fanatiz
As we mentioned in our prediction for this match, Cruz Azul managed to pull out a narrow 1-0 victory over León thanks to Ignacio Rivero’s goal in the 72nd minute. With this, Cruz Azul is now in Mexican soccer’s big party and will face Monterrey in the quarterfinals.
After knowing hell, literally, after being crushed by América in the regular phase, which led to the dismissal of their coach and the hiring of Raúl Gutierrez, Cruz Azul made a 180° turnaround in their level of play and ended the regular season as one of the best teams in the league, as they demonstrated in this playoff match, where despite the close 1-0 score, they were superior to León.
Similarly, despite constant attacks from Cruz Azul at one point in the match, both teams began to think about penalties, but in the 72nd minute, Ignacio Rivero managed to score the winning goal for his team after a rebound left by the León goalkeeper.
Result: León (0) – (1) Cruz Azul
Liga MX Playoffs Results – Juárez vs. Toluca – Info
When: Sunday, October 09 at 01:00 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Juárez +390 / Toluca -125 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +246
Where Can I Watch it? Fox Sports / Fanatiz
In a match in which they were clear favorites to win, Toluca managed to make their home advantage count by crushing Juárez with a score of 0-3 and thus comfortably qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Liguilla. They will now have to face Santos Laguna, another of the big teams in this opening tournament, in a double elimination round.
Despite Toluca’s high supremacy in this match, Juárez had many chances to score goals and get into the game, but, they did not have the necessary effectiveness to score a single goal. Juarez had as many as 18 shots, 5 of them on goal.
One of the key points in this victory for Toluca was that their two strikers managed to score the winning goals. On the one hand, Camilo Sanvezzo continues his excellent scoring streak and was the one who started the way to victory with a great goal in this Playoff. Carlos González and Marcel Ruiz scored the other two goals for their team to settle the match.
Result: Juárez (0) – (3) Toluca
Liga MX Playoffs Results – Puebla vs. Guadalajara – Info
When: Sunday, October 09 at 05:30 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Puebla +144 / Guadalajara +194 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +232
Where Can I Watch it? Fox Sports / Fanatiz
Although we predicted a 2-1 victory for Puebla in the lead-up to this match, there were also many predictions that the match could go to penalties, as it was the closest match of this playoff and so it was.
Puebla overcame Guadalajara on penalties by 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in the 90 regulatory minutes to reach the quarterfinals of the Liga MX Apertura Tournament. The team coached by Nicolás Larcamón made their home advantage count and made it to the tournament’s big party.
Guadalajara showed its intentions by taking the initiative at the start of the match, although Puebla began to settle into the game little by little, the match went 0-0 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, the home team was able to take the lead on the scoreboard. Martín Barragán broke the deadlock with a header after a cross from Emilio Martínez from the right flank at minute 58.
From this point on, everything seemed to indicate that it would be a scripted victory for Puebla in the 90 minutes, but, in the 90+6 minute, Chivas managed to tie the score thanks to a goal by Carlos Cisneros and thus send the match to penalties.
In the penalty shootout, Puebla scored the 5 penalties they took, while Guadalajara, thanks to Ricardo Angulo, who missed the fourth penalty kick, managed to score only 4 and thus ended this great match.
With this victory, Puebla has the very complicated mission of beating the best team in the tournament, Club América, in the quarterfinals.
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