With a goal from Víctor Dávila in the 91st minute, Necaxa won against Santos Laguna 2-1 in the Copa MX semifinal. The hard-fought match took place on Wednesday night at Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes.
With the victory, the Rayos will face Toluca in the grand final. Santos Laguna fell with their heads held high in a very close match that was decided one minute before the end with a brilliant play by Carlos González and an excellent finish by Víctor Dávila, who came on as a substitute.
The match started with a lot of traffic in the midfield, and the first shot on goal came in the 2nd minute from Necaxa, but without danger for Santos' goalkeeper, Carlos Acevedo.
In the 5th minute, Santos started to press Necaxa in their own half, which paid off. Bryan Lozano cut through the center and shot from the edge of the area, hitting the crossbar in the 6th minute.
Electrifying and dramatic was the end of the match, with both teams desperately seeking to score the winning goal.
On the following play, in the 7th minute, Necaxa broke through on the right and won a corner. Ventura Alvarado headed it back in and Martín Barragán scored with a right-footed shot to make it 1-0. The match started very dynamic.
After the goal, the intensity of the match dropped a bit, but Santos kept pushing, especially down the right flank.
Through combinations in the center, Santos gradually built up the equalizing play. Alcoba joined the attack, arrived unexpectedly, and combined with Lozano. Alcoba shot with his right foot, a cross shot that beat Yosgart for the 1-1 in the 17th minute.
In the 20th minute, on a counterattack from the left, Furch shot from outside the area towards the right post and Yosgart deflected it. Santos warned, they were going for the second goal.
From a free kick, after a foul on Djaniny, Bryan Lozano took the shot in the 25th minute and forced Yosgart to make a save with both hands.
The balance was in favor of Santos, Necaxa couldn't break out of their own half. The Rayos gradually started to control the ball and had a couple of dangerous chances that were well defended by the Santos' defense.
In the 42nd minute, Carlos Acevedo was very attentive and had a feline reaction. Corner from the left, Martín Barragán flicked it backwards, it came towards the goal, and at point-blank range, Acevedo made a diving save to push it out for a throw-in on the right.
In additional time, and amidst the desperation of the referee's decisions, Bryan Lozano was booked, and seconds later, the end of the first half was decreed.
The second half started with a chance for the home side and a long-range shot that Acevedo saved with a diving save, pushing it out for a corner in the 48th minute. Afterwards, Santos took control of the ball and reached the edge of the home team's area, but without any clear ideas, the Rayos defended well deep inside their own half.
Electrifying and dramatic was the end of the match, with both teams desperately seeking to score the winning goal.
In additional time, in the 91st minute, Carlos González performed a nutmeg in the box, executed a self-pass, and played a back diagonal pass for Víctor Dávila to score with his left foot, unleashing madness at Estadio Victoria. The final score was 2-1, and Santos remained on the doorstep of the final.
rcm