The latest edition of América vs Chivas proved to be exceptional. Fresh off the heels of a disastrous Clásico Regio, which was marred by violence and turned out to be a horrible game, the Super Clásico produced not only a fantastic on field product but some heartwarming scenes of opposing fans enjoying the game together.
There was a lot of discussion about how the Clásico Regio lost its innocence a little bit last week, and it fell from the lofty pedestal that many had placed it on in recent years. Obviously, Tigres and Monterrey have both been very good teams with very passionate fanbases over the past several years, and a lot of people have (somewhat jokingly) suggested it had become the biggest game of the season during that time frame.
But this Super Clásico reminded us of who is really the top dog when it comes to rivalry games in Mexico. 70,000 fans nearly filled the Azteca, and they were treated to a delightful game. Chivas took the lead early in the second half, but Las Aguilas hit back in the 80th minute and seized complete momentum of the match. They looked certain to win, and produced several more great chances and held the ball in the final third for most of the last 15 minutes of the game.
With just seconds left on the clock, in the 95th minute, América earned a penalty. It was a dramatic ending, and it looked like Las Aguilas were going to steal a victory against their rivals. But it was not meant to be, of course. Raúl Gudiño made a good save on Mateus Uribe’s attempt, salvaging a point for Chivas. The decision to let Uribe, who also missed a penalty at the World Cup this summer, will no doubt be heavily scrutinized.
In general, this game was a good showcase for Mexican football and Liga MX. It was broadcast in English in the US, and hopefully, the craziness was enough to introduce the league to a wider audience. The negativity surrounding Liga MX from a week ago has been cleared up a little bit.
But it wasn’t perfect. The goalkeeper chant continues and was audible all night, as it always is. I’m not going to dwell on a topic that has been discussed hundreds of times before, but we can’t forget that it’s there. The other blemish on this game was Jair Pereira’s head injury. After suffering a serious-looking head injury, Pereira was allowed to re-enter the game with essentially no concussion protocol. Safety needs to be stepped up big time because this was completely unacceptable and was embarrassing for the league.
América sit in 2nd place now, while Chivas are in 9th, only out of the playoffs only on goal difference.
