This Friday, Puebla and Lobos BUAP played their first-ever game against each other in Mexico’s top circuit. The game was the birth of a new rivalry in the Liga MX, the Clasico Poblano, the Derbi Poblano, the Clasico de la Cemita or however you want to call the encounter.
Straight from kickoff, there seemed to be a very distinct atmosphere at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc than what had been seen over the course of the year. The people of Puebla clearly cared about this game and showed it as nearly 50 thousand fans filled the beautiful stadium in Angelopolis.
The official attendance for the game was 45,527 spectators and this was the product on the field did not disappoint the amazing atmosphere. Both teams fought for every single ball as if the game meant a playoff spot on the line or if it was the deciding game that would decide the relegation race.
The 22 players on the pitch knew that this was no ordinary game and gave the fans a spectacle of a game. The intensity grew throughout the encounter and in the 34th minute, Puebla was already down a man as club captain Francisco Torres picked up a red card.
There were several tough tackles throughout the match and both teams wanted to give their fans the win in this Clasico Poblano. Puebla did not seem to be affected by being a man down as manager Enrique Meza moved his team around precisely to still put in a very competitive effort.
In the 83rd minute, the scoreless draw was finally broken at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc as Francisco “Maza” Rodriguez scored off a corner kick by Carlos Adrian Morales. The Lobos’ fans and players exploded in jubilation as even manager Rafael Puente Jr. celebrated with immense joy alongside his players. The final minutes of the match were very intense as La Franja almost managed to get the tie with some late minute heroics from goalkeeper Moises Munoz. Right down to the final second of the match, the game remained interesting as Los Camoteros snuck in one final scoring opportunity that just went over Lobos’ net.
Puebla may have lost the match but the game proved to be a victory for the city of Puebla in general. Soccer in Puebla has been losing interest with La Franja really struggling recently over the last few years. The promotion of Lobos BUAP to the Liga MX sparked a bit of interest to the sport in the city but there were still very poor attendances for both teams in the city. This match sparked some interest in the beautiful game in the city of Puebla and hopefully, that can remain consistent heading into next season. Lobos BUAP is clearly a team on the rise and Puebla itself looks promising with manager Enrique Meza leading a new project with the team.
The highest attendance this season before this game at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc had been just 16,716 spectators. The Cuauhtémoc is one of the biggest and most beautiful stadiums in the Liga MX and deserves more crowds like this in the near future.
