In the first of three Clásico Nacional's in the next week, Chivas defended their home turf and defeated Club América 1–0 in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.
América dominated proceedings from the get-go. Las Águilas had control of the ball and looked menacing in the opening half, but couldn't find a breakthrough as Chivas defended their box well. As is to be expected in El Clásico Nacional, tempers flared with altercations breaking out in the final five minutes of the first half.
It's clear Chivas' plan was to make it a rocky, interrupted affair to disrupt América's attacking flow. With the clock ticking on, the visitors started to look increasingly frustrated, making plenty of uncharacteristic mistakes in possession that allowed Chivas to grow into the game.
With the game completely stuck, Chivas found the breakthrough in the 77th minute. Mateo Chávez headed a ball looking for a teammate in the middle of the box, América goalkeeper Luis Malagón dove to clear the cross with a punch, but the ball hit Sebastián Cáceres in the face and it rebounded into the back of the net.
The circumstantial own-goal was enough to secure the win for Chivas. El Rebaño came into the game as the underdog but showed real character and are now 90 minutes away from the quarterfinals. The two sides will face each other again in Liga MX this weekend, before the decisive second leg next Wednesday.
Player ratings from the game below.
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Chivas Player Ratings vs. Club América (5-2-3)
Ratings Provided by FotMob
Club America Player Ratings vs. Chivas (4-1-4-1)
Ratings Provided by FotMob
Player of the Match: Gilberto Sepúlveda (Chivas)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chivas 1-0 Club America: Player Ratings as Los Rojiblancos Strike First in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
