From champion to last place in less than three months

Chivas lost their first league match in front of their fans since January of this year, and to their misfortune, it was against Puebla 1-0, who left the bottom of the table and left the Guadalajara team as the new last place of the Apertura 2017. The Rebaño, by the way, played a great match with one less player due to the expulsion of Jair Pereira.

The home team knocked on the opponent's door first. It seemed that the absence of Matías Almeyda on the bench would not weigh on a team that was running at full speed. Ángel Zaldívar was close to scoring with only two minutes played, but the Puebla defense was attentive.

Puebla arrived at the Chivas stadium with the intention of catching them on a counterattack. They had a defensive line of five and Cristian Esparza constantly challenged one of the Guadalajara central defenders. The dominance of the game belonged to Matías Almeyda's team, who had to watch the match from a box seat.

Bad news started at minute 16. There was a double play in the area and Carlos Salcido pushed the ball into the net. The defender stayed on the ground while his teammates ran to hug and congratulate him for the goal. The crowd exploded, but few noticed that the linesman, Ibrahim Chavarría, had ruled the play offside. The game remained scoreless.

The champion seems to be experiencing a difficult-to-explain slump, where mistakes are magnified and successes are becoming less frequent. A loss of the ball in midfield gave La Franja what they were looking for: a counterattack with Esparza who managed to evade Jair Pereira. The defender tripped him from behind and Cristian fell to the ground. The referee considered that enough reason to leave Chivas with 10 men despite the protests at the 18th minute.

And that's how Chivas had to swim against the current. Nevertheless, Salcido had another chance in the opponent's area. It was a replica of the goal that had been ruled offside. It was a corner kick where the defender's figure appeared at the far post. He shot with his right foot, but this time the crossbar denied him the goal.

Puebla did not change their tactics, but instead pushed forward. Francisco Acuña took a greater role in the game and with his speed became a true headache. At the 41st minute, he chested the ball down for "Manitas" Alonso Zamora who struck the ball in the air without hesitation, beating Rodolfo Cota. Puebla went into halftime with the lead on the scoreboard and with one man advantage.

Chivas had no choice but to appeal to sacrifice. That's how Ángel Zaldívar dragged the ball from three quarters of the field and attempted to shoot at Moisés Muñoz, but the goalkeeper deflected it with a swipe of his hand and sent it out for a corner kick.

In the second half, the effort took its toll and with the field heavy from the rain, the pace decreased. 'Chiquis' García sent fresh legs in Felix Micolta and Patricio Araujo to preserve their performance.

Zaldívar and the goal kept battling it out. At the 72nd minute, he had a chance with a header but sent it wide. It was not Chivas' night, a team that went from being champion to last place in three months and has yet to win a match in the Apertura 2017 after five matches played.

Source: MC