Corona Stadium to Host Santos Laguna vs Toluca in the First Leg of Clausura 2018 Final
The TSM Corona stadium will be the venue for the first leg of the Clausura 2018 Final this Thursday night, where Santos Laguna will seek their sixth star against a rival with whom they have unresolved issues and will try to settle under the guidance of Robert Dante Siboldi as coach.
The match will take place at 8:00 pm and all tickets have been sold out, so the Corona stadium will look magnificent, where the celebration is already being felt in anticipation.
Moreover, they have faced each other in the playoffs; three times in the semifinals and once in the quarterfinals, and Toluca has won in all of them.
Santos reached this stage after eliminating two big teams, such as the champion Tigres, who despite being the favorite, could not overcome the football and determination of the Laguna team.
Then, in the semifinals, despite being considered the underdog, the white-green team defeated an astonished America with an impressive overall score of 6-3.
Santos imposed their conditions as the home team, but they faced some difficulties in the Azteca stadium last Sunday against America. However, they managed to complete their task and sealed the series in a convincing way, a series that will be remembered for a long time by the fans of both teams.
On the other hand, the Diablos Rojos were defeated in Tijuana, but a last-minute goal gave them a lifeline, allowing them to advance to another final on Sunday at the Nemesio Diez stadium, although they had to go through some suffering as they were just one goal away from elimination despite having two more players on the field.
Ultimately, that numerical advantage played a crucial role and the scoreline should have reflected equal circumstances.
The coach Hernán Cristante knows he had many things in his favor and possibly won't have similar situations again, facing a rival whom he defeated 2-0 in the regular phase, but also with an extra player and against a not-so-sharp Santos.
The green-white club has a fan base that has been eagerly waiting for this opportunity to fight for their sixth league title.
Both teams have a history in finals, having faced each other on a couple of occasions. In the Verano 2000, the Diablos won 7-1 on aggregate, while in the Bicentenario 2010 they emerged victorious in penalty shootouts.
Robert Dante Siboldi is in his debut tournament as a coach and he has already made it to the final. Now he will seek to crown this great campaign, which saw his team as the overall leader for a good part of the season and also had the top scorer, Djaniny Tavares.
The team also has other players in good form, such as Julio Furch, Osvaldo Martinez, Jose Juan Vazquez, Brian Lozano, Javier Abella, Jesus Angulo, Carlos Izquierdoz, and many others.
It is expected that the Cape Verdean player will play in this match, considering that he was on the bench in the previous game.
Recent Matches in the League
- Cla.18 - Matchday 8 - Toluca 2-0 Santos - Nemesio Diez
- Ape.17 - Matchday 8 - Santos 0-0 Toluca - Corona TSM
- Cla.17 - Quarterfinals - Toluca 1-3 Santos - Nemesio Diez
- Cla.17 - Semifinals - Santos 1-4 Toluca - Corona TSM
- Cla.17 - Matchday 17 - Santos 2-2 Toluca - Corona TSM
- Ape.16 - Matchday 17 - Toluca 1-2 Santos - Nemesio Diez
- Cla.16 - Matchday 12 - Toluca 0-0 Santos - Nemesio Diez
- Ape.15 - Matchday 12 - Santos 0-0 Toluca - Corona TSM
- Cla.15 - Matchday 6 - Toluca 2-2 Santos - Nemesio Diez
- Ape.14 - Matchday 6 - Santos 3-0 Toluca - Corona TSM