This Friday, Puebla hosted Lobos BUAP at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc for a game in the seventeenth round of matches in the Liga MX Apertura 2017. The game was a historic one as it was the first meeting between the two teams from Puebla in the Liga MX creating the birth of the Clasico Poblano.
The game, in general, was a great success to the city as nearly 50 thousand fans filled the Estadio Cuauhtémoc on Friday night. The match was important because of this newfound rivalry and because of the relegation race as well. Puebla seems to be safe but will still be in the mix for relegation in the Clausura tournament while every point counts for the recently promoted Lobos BUAP.
Lobos did end up getting the slim 1-0 victory in what turned out to be a very exciting match and this may be manager Rafael Puente Jr.’s most important victory in the Liga MX to date.
Puente has had some impressive results this season beating teams like Cruz Azul, Chivas and Monterrey but this win against Puebla might be his biggest achievement. For starters, it was a big rivalry match that sparked a buzz around the city of Puebla and the win was significant, especially away from home.
Then, Puente Jr. managed to beat the experienced 69-year-old Puebla coach Enrique Meza, which is a very nice feather to add to his cap. “El Ojitos” is one of the most respected managers in Mexican soccer history and the win for the 38-year-old Puente against such a monumental figure is something to be proud of.
Lastly, there is the topic of relegation as Lobos BUAP is now sitting on 23 points in its initial Liga MX tournament. The team from Puebla massively overachieved expectations and could evade relegation with a mediocre Clausura 2018 tournament.
If Lobos BUAP can at least get around 15-17 points in the next tournament that should be enough to stay in Mexico’s top division because of this great tournament. If Lobos BUAP had stayed at 20 points, it is likely that the team would have needed to exceed expectations again and get at least 20 points in the Clausura competition. Rafael Puente Jr. is a very promising manager with a bright future if he can continue this type of success and it will be interesting to see what he can do with Lobos BUAP in the Clausura 2018 tournament.
