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Atlante defeats CD Guadalajara to advance to semifinals; Photo Josh Todd |
By Pete Ratajczak / MLSnet.com Staff
Atlante vs. CD Guadalajara - Photo Gallery
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Atlante FC advanced to the SuperLiga semifinals by beating Chivas de Guadalajara 2-0 Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Houston’s 3-1 win against D.C. United earlier in the day meant that Atlante needed a win to advance out of the group stage, and they got it thanks to goals by Luis Gabriel Rey and Gerardo Espinoza.
Atlante opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. From the right midfield, Gabriel Pereyra slipped a pass through to Rey, whose shot from 15 yards out beat goalkeeper Ernesto Michel cleanly inside the left post. They then held on as Chivas pressed for an equalizer, finally putting the game away in the 88th minute on Espinoza's goal.
The best scoring opportunity for Chivas in the first half came from a pass, not a shot. In the 34th minute, after Edgar Solis stole the ball in midfield, he passed it ahead to Omar Arellano on the left wing. Arellano came in on goal from an angle, lofting a cross that banged off the far post and bounced away before being cleared by the defense.
Another chance for Chivas came just a minute after the second half kickoff. Ramon Morales, navigating his way through traffic along the end line, chipped a cross to Xavier Baez inside the six-yard box, but Baez slipped and couldn’t get a shot off before the defense knocked the ball away.
Atlante almost got another goal in the 48th minute, as Pereyra walked in alone from the left wing before a centering a pass to Giancarlo Maldonado. Maldonado hit it first time, but missed the target by inches, his shot flying past the left post.
Chivas needed just a tie to advance to the semifinals, and the lively sellout crowd of 10,373, dressed almost entirely in Chivas’ red-and-white stripes, chanted and yelled and begged for an equalizer. They even set off some fireworks in the 75th minute, delaying the game for several minutes as sparks and smoke poured out of the stands.
The fans almost got what they wanted. When play resumed with a Chivas corner kick, Antonio Olvera’s snap header slammed into the left post before being cleared by the Atlante defense.
When Arellano was fouled just outside the box in 71st minute, it set up a dangerous free kick opportunity for Chivas, but Morales’ shot was right at the Atlante’s goalkeeper, Federico Vilar.
Then, Atlante put the game away with a goal in the 88th minute. Off a corner kick, a header deflected off the right post, but the rebound fell to Espinoza, who slammed it home from 10 yards out.
Chivas had one last threat at scoring when Antonio Salazar’s scissors kick from 20 yards out hit the crossbar. It was that kind of night for Chivas, who go home early from SuperLiga for the second consecutive year, and in similar circumstances. In the inaugural event, they needed just a draw from their final group game, but lost 1-0 to Pachuca.
For Atlante, who began this year's tournament with a 4-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo, it was a well-earned win. They’ll find out who they’ll face in the SuperLiga Semifinal when Group B play concludes Sunday, taking on the first-place team in the group.
