Winners and Losers from Liga MX Week 12
Week 12 of the 2014 Apertura tournament was full of surprises, including a key win for Cruz Azul over the Liga MX leader, America.
Las Aguilas couldn't keep up with the consistency they had shown in the previous four games. Despite the loss, they are still atop the general table with 26 points.
There was bad news for Guadalajara too, as they lost on home soil to Atlas, while Veracruz and Queretaro also suffered defeats.
Leon, Tijuana and Universidad de Guadalajara secured three points, but despite their efforts their chances of getting into the Liguilla are slim.
Let's take a look at this week's winners and losers.
Winners: Leon
1 of 7
Leon secured their fourth victory of the season, as they defeated Queretaro at Estadio Corregidora.
Mauro Boselli opened the score for La Fiera in the first half, as the away team took advantage of Orbelin Pineda's double booking.
Queretaro pushed hard until Camilo Sanvezzo put the ball away in the 76th minute. But the happiness ended in the blink of an eye, as Jose Juan Vazquez gave Leon the advantage again with a long-distance shot.
In Matchday 11 La Fiera lost 1-3 to Monterrey, and although they are still very far from grabbing a spot at the Liguilla, the team is slowly showing improvement.
Against Queretaro they had 86 percent passing accuracy and Christian Martinez made two saves, as reported by Squawka.
Losers: Veracruz
2 of 7
Veracruz keep losing valuable points on home soil. So far, Tiburones Rojos sit 15th in the table, just ahead of fellow relegation battlers Universidad de Guadalajara and Puebla.
In Week 12, Tigres defeated Tiburones Rojos 0-1. Ricardo Ferretti's side had 12 shots, 79 percent passing accuracy and nine chances created, according to Squawka.
Veracruz's stats were not as good. Despite trying to turn things around at the end of the match with more ball possession, the damage was already done.
Leiton Jimenez knocked the ball into his own goal and the home team couldn't get past that. During the first half their mentality was shattered. They were weak in the back line, and they lacked depth and creativity.
Winners: Tijuana
3 of 7
Tijuana were very close to winning at Estadio Tecnologico, but a brilliant header by Severo Meza denied them the opportunity to accomplish the feat.
However, Xolos managed to show that Monterrey have weaknesses. Rayados tried to push Tijuana, but the strategy didn't work.
Instead, Tijuana took advantage of the open spaces on the flanks, and it was from that area where they started to weave the play that resulted in Dario Benedetto's goal.
Xolos' defense was sharp throughout the match. They covered Dorlan Pabon tightly, proving Monterrey's dependence to the Colombian forward.
Despite the one-goal draw, Tijuana showed that their confidence is growing.
Losers: America
4 of 7
America have lost twice this season, to UNAM and Cruz Azul. Both teams haven't been consistent in the 2014 Apertura, plus they are Las Aguilas' archenemies.
La Maquina has been going through a rough patch, but the win over America was key to getting into the Liguilla qualification zone.
Antonio Mohamed's side started with a 4-4-2 formation, which had holes in the back line.
Miguel Layun played as a right midfielder, while Osmar Mares took over as left-back. This combination, which the coach had used against Pachuca and Veracruz, was his team's doom.
Mares couldn't stop Rogelio Chavez and Joao Rojas. The former created two goal opportunities, while the latter scored once and assisted Christian Gimenez.
Despite being atop the general table, America let slip a good chance to secure a five-point lead over Atlas.
Winners: Universidad De Guadalajara
5 of 7
Universidad de Guadalajara grabbed their second win of the season, and they did it on home soil.
According to Squawka, Leones Negros created 10 goal opportunities from the flanks and the center of the box, taking advantage of UNAM'S shaky defense.
Overall, they made 14 shots, six of them on target. Fidel Martinez was key in this department, as he scored one of his five tries, hence giving his side the victory.
This result was key for Leones Negros, as they are near the bottom of the table and face relegation. They need to keep the momentum alive, as they will face Puebla next week, the club that is ahead of them in that area.
Losers: Santos Laguna
6 of 7
Ever since Matchday 9, Santos Laguna have been struggling to win. First they lost 4-1 to Tijuana, then 1-4 to America, and later they grabbed a one-goal draw to UANL.
This week things didn't change much for Los Guerreros. Once again they failed to take advantage of playing on home soil, and they let slip a two-goal advantage over Morelia.
Javier Orozco and Yair Renteria put Santos ahead, showing the club's power in the attacking zone. However the back line was a very different story.
Los Guerreros intercepted 12 balls; they won 43 percent of tackles and succeeded in 13 take ons, as per Squawka.
Morelia, the worst team of the tournament, only needed to push Santos a little bit to put their defense in distress.
Winners: Atlas
7 of 7
Once again, Guadalajara lost on home soil, with Ramon Morales as the interim coach.
This was a fantastic opportunity for Atlas to reclaim the second spot of the general table, which they lost to Monterrey in defeat against them in Week 10.
Los Zorros have proven to be serious contenders for the title. They are a disciplined squad that has the fourth-best offense of the tournament and also the fourth-best defense.
Atlas are set to face Toluca in the upcoming matchday.
All stats appear courtesy of ESPN FC unless otherwise noted.
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