With a 4-4 score in regular time, and 2-4 in the penalty shootout, the Pachuca Tuzos and the Santos Laguna Warriors competed with all their soccer quality for the pass to the quarterfinals of the Clausura 2023 at the Huracan stadium, where the current champion was knocked out of the competition.
From the beginning of the match, the home team showed their offensive potential, which led to an error by the Santos Laguna goalkeeper, Gibran Lajud, in the fourth minute, which the referee sanctioned as a penalty for the Tuzos. They managed to break the deadlock with the penalty taken by Christian "El Chicho" Arango in the sixth minute.
Despite the early goal, the Santos Laguna squad did not give up, and in the 10th minute, Harold Preciado sent the ball into the net of Oscar Ustari, after a cross that he headed in to equalize the score.
The visitors' joy didn't last long, as the Hidalgo team regained the lead with a goal from Roberto de la Rosa in the 14th minute. However, once again, the Warriors responded to the aggression, and a header from Félix Torres made it 2-2 in the 26th minute.
Although the offensive actions continued, it was not until the end of the first half, in the 42nd minute, that the Bella Airosa team had the fortune to regain the narrow lead with a shot from Romario Ibarra to make it 3-2, a score that persisted until half-time.
In the second half, the attacks from both sides maintained their intensity, and in the 52nd minute, Raúl "El Dedos" López equalized the score 3-3 with a long-range shot that left Óscar Ustari with no chance of saving the ball, allowing the Warriors to dream of the quarterfinals of the Clausura 2023.
Both teams tried everything to break the tie and secure a spot in the quarterfinals and the opportunity to fight for the Liga MX title. Despite their efforts, they failed to score a goal in regular time and seemed ready for the penalty shootout. However, in the 92nd minute of stoppage time, Erick Sánchez gave the advantage to the Tuzos and the momentary pass.
Despite this, the laguneros had the last word, and in the 94th minute of stoppage time, defender Mateus Doria defeated Ustari for the fourth time and made it 4-4, forcing the penalty shootout to determine their place in the Mexican soccer competition.
Penalty Shootout
The goalkeeper of the Warriors, Gibran Lajud, honored his team and saved the first shot from the Tuzos, while Óscar Ustari missed and gave the advantage to the laguneros.
Luis Chávez showed his quality and defeated Lajud to equalize the score, but Correa achieved his goal and beat Ustari again to regain the lead.
Then, Javier "La Chofis" López did the same and equalized the score once again, but just like in stoppage time, Mateus Doria put the ball into the net and secured the partial victory.
Gibran Lajud once again became the hero and saved the shot from Paulino de la Fuente, and with the pressure at its peak, Óscar Ustari, obliged to stop the ball, missed and gave the pass to the laguneros.