Michael Estrada and Joao Plata lead Toluca to victory in Liga MX
The Ecuadorian players Michael Estrada and Joao Plata each scored a goal and led Toluca to a 2-0 victory over Necaxa that has propelled the 'Diablos Rojos' to the top of the Clausura-2021 tournament in the Liga MX.
The first half was entertaining, with both teams looking for the opposing goal and timely interventions from the goalkeepers.
The Argentinian player Pedro Alexis Canelo accepted a pass from his compatriot Rubens Sambueza and came close to opening the scoring for Toluca, but goalkeeper Luis Malagon made a save to keep the clean sheet.
Estrada, a forward for the national team, scored the first goal from a penalty kick in the 25th minute, after which Necaxa pushed forward but lacked accuracy in the final third.
The second half started with fouls and repeated turnovers until the 62nd minute when Mario de Luna disrupted Estrada, who had a clear chance to score.
Necaxa was reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute after the expulsion of Spanish player González for insulting language.
Toluca dominated the rest of the match and even had the opportunity to score a second goal with a missed chance from José Juan Vázquez.
In stoppage time, Plata (94 min) received a pass from Vázquez and scored the 2-0 goal, putting Toluca at the top of the table with two wins, one draw, and seven points, the same as Santos Laguna, whom they surpass on goal difference. Necaxa is in the tenth position with three points.
Estrada, who has scored two goals in the Clausura-2021 tournament, had a stellar performance and played until the 76th minute, while Plata came on as a substitute in the 64th minute and stayed on the pitch until the final whistle.