The match between Santos Laguna and America
In a match full of ups and downs, Santos Laguna fell 2-3 to America in a friendly match held last night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colorado.
Santos took the field with Jonathan Orozco in goal and Javier Abella, Jorge Enríquez, Diego de Buen, and Gerardo Arteaga in defense. Ulises Rivas, Osvaldo Martínez, and Gael Sandoval formed the midfield, while Djaniny Tavares, Ulises Dávila, and Julio Furch led the attack.
The Eagles started with Marchesín, Aguilar, Valdez, Vargas, Samudio, Rodríguez, Da Silva, Ibarra, Lainez, Díaz, and Romero.
The match started off very rough, with too many fouls interrupting the action in the first few minutes. Both teams showed offensive potential but were very erratic.
In the 18th minute, America took the lead with a goal scored by Alejandro Díaz. William da Silva set him up with a back-heel pass in the semicircle, from where he placed a shot into the upper right corner, making it 0-1.
Agustín Marchesín, heavily booed by the Santos fans in attendance, denied Tavares a goal with a great save.
Santos responded in the 27th minute with a header from Diego de Buen, equalizing the score 1-1.
This way, Santos is 1-1 on its tour of the United States and is now preparing to face San Antonio next Saturday.
A corner kick, a directionless header, a slice from 'Chaton,' and finally the Santos center-back fired from close range.
The match grew until the 37th minute when Miguel Herrera's team regained the lead with a goal from Diego Lainez. He made a good individual play, eluding opponents and then shooting a cross shot from inside the box that beat Orozco's stretch, making it 1-2.
In the second half, Romero missed the opportunity to score the third in the 48th minute, but Santos also sought the goal more persistently.
In the 53rd minute, coach José Manuel de la Torre made changes, bringing Cisneros and Lozano into play and substituting Furch and Dávila. Shortly after, América made four changes of their own, including Carlos Darwin's entry.
The match slowed down due to so many substitutions, but Santos was pushing for the equalizer. Sandoval almost achieved it with a shot after a cross from Martínez.
'Chepo,' once again dissatisfied with the refereeing, was sent off from the match in the 65th minute. The match didn't improve, on the contrary, until the 69th minute when Diego de Buen scored his second goal of the night. This time, it was a free-kick that deflected off the wall, making it 2-2.
Djaniny came close to scoring the third in the 76th minute, but his powerful shot hit the post. América escaped, but as the match entered its final stretch, it improved and could've gone either way.
Thus, in the 82nd minute, on a counterattack, Carlos Darwin made it 2-3, sealing the victory for América. Shortly after, the Colombian almost scored the fourth, but Jonathan Orozco prevented it with a great save.
This way, Santos is 1-1 on its tour of the United States and is now preparing to face San Antonio next Saturday.
JFR