There were only six Mexican-born players who received plying time this weekend throughout Europe’s top flight football leagues. While Carlos Salcedo’s Fiorentina will play on Tuesday against Roma away from home, other players like Javier Hernandez, Marco Fabian and Raul Jimenez did not receive playing time with their respective clubs. Here are the players who did get some playing time this weekend throughout European football.
Carlos Vela. ‘Carlitos’ was key in Real Sociedad’s game against Osasuna at the Anoeta Stadium, scoring the tying goal in Sociedad’s 3-2 win. Vela made a spectacular sprint towards the rival’s net, then made a pass to a teammate and quickly received the ball back inside the penalty area where the Mexican forward would finish the opportunity to perfection. The goal would be a historic one for Vela as it was his 61st goal with the club which cements him as the eighth top goal-scorer in Real Sociedad history.
El gol de Carlos Vela en la victoria de la Real Sociedad 3-2 vs Osasuna pic.twitter.com/zxd6S9jwjM
— Antonio de Valdés (@adevaldes) February 6, 2017
Andres Guardado and Hector Moreno. The PSV boys played the entire 90 minutes for PSV Eindhoven in their big 4-2 win over AZ Alkmaar away from home. With the win, PSV is now three points away from Ajax in second place and eight points back of leaders, Feynoord in the Eredivisie.
Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona. FC Porto had a huge 2-1 victory over Sporting CP this weekend, which put them just a point behind leaders, Benfica in the Primeira Liga. Miguel Layun and Hector Herrera were not active in the encounter, Jesus Corona was the only Aztec presence in Porto’s lineup. The Mexican winger played 83 minutes of the match before being subbed off.
Diego Reyes. Reyes has had a tremendous campaign for RCD Espanyol in Spain and really is the main figure in his team’s backline. The Barcelona side find themselves in eighth place in La Liga and has now achieved three consecutive victories, their most recent a 1-0 victory over Malaga. The former Club America defender played all 90 minutes and helped keep the clean sheet for his side.
Jonathan Dos Santos. The Younger Dos Santos brother has been having a great campaign with Villareal in Spain. The Mexican midfielder played the entire 90 minutes in his club’s 0-0 draw to Sevilla, who are currently in third place in La Liga. The ‘Yellow Submarine’ are currently sixth place in Spain’s top flight football competition and look to keep on summing up points with Dos Santos in the lineup.
