Crisis Outside the Estadio Jalisco
The crisis that Atlas is experiencing off the field at Estadio Jalisco is more acute than it seems. With their latest defeat in the port city of Veracruz, the Zorros will extend their streak to more than nine months without a win away from home. However, the most alarming thing is that there have been very few occasions when the red and black team came close to breaking this poor statistic.
To be exact, there have been only four matches in which the Zorros were able to take the lead and come close to victory away from the Coloso de la Calzada Independencia. Only four games in the Apertura 2016 and Clausura 2017.
Forgiveness in the Clasico
The first of these was precisely the Clasico Tapatío from last semester (J6), which ended in a 2-2 draw. However, it left a bitter taste for the Zorros because they failed to secure the win when they were in the lead.
After Ángel Zaldívar scored the first goal for the red and white team, Flavio Santos and Martín Barragán turned the match around. Unfortunately for the Zorros, Chelo scored again in the 67th minute, sealing the draw.
The goal from the Canterano Chiva not only took the win away from the Zorros, but also extended the time since Atlas last won an official Clasico Tapatío. The last time they were able to do so was back in October 2014.
They Were Saved in "La Comarca"
The next time the Zorros took the lead in an away match was in Week 14 of the Apertura 2016. In that match, the Zorros visited Santos Laguna and although they managed to take the lead in the 37th minute, Carlos Izquierdoz stopped them in their tracks.
A brace from the Laguna defender put the Zorros against the ropes, but at the end of the match, in typical Atlas fashion, Edson Rivera scored the equalizer to salvage at least one point against the warriors.
Hopes Crushed by "El Tuzo"
Without a doubt, it was in the previous tournament against Pachuca when the Zorros came closest to breaking their away losing streak. It was Week 15 of the Apertura 2016 when José Guadalupe Cruz's men went to the Hidalgo field.
With goals from Daniel Álvarez and Martín Barragán, the Zorros took a two-goal lead in just the 21st minute. The game was going well and they were beating the reigning champions, but that's when Rubén Botta and Jonathan Urretaviscaya crushed the Tapatío dream.
A brace from Botta and another goal from Urreta were enough to turn the tide against the Zorros in Bella Airosa.
Devastating Defeat Against "El Diablo"
In this tournament and against Toluca, Atlas experienced their most recent game where they let the away advantage slip away. Just one minute into the match, the Zorros were already winning with an own goal from Paulo Da Silva. However, the Diablos had no mercy for the Zorros and the match ended with a comfortable 4-1 victory for the scarlets.
After what happened in Veracruz last Friday, the Zorros will have their next away opportunity on February 5th, when they visit Puebla as part of Week 5 of the Clausura 2017.
As for the Copa MX, the Zorros will have their next away match on January 25th, also against Puebla.