CARSON, Calif. - Omar Bravo scored a dramatic
stoppage-time goal to give Guadalajara a 1-1 draw with Necaxa, a
result that sent the Copa Libertadores semifinalists from a year ago
back to within a game of the tournament.
Bravo scored in the second of three stoppage-time minutes, when
all hope had seemingly vanished. With Chivas mere minutes away from
crashing out of InterLiga 2006, Bravo's better-late-than-never tally
sent the club to Sunday's finals.
Necaxa's early goal - a 13th-minute tally from Ariel Lopez -
appeared good enough to send that club through to the finals. Necaxa
even went down a man in the 41st minute but that did not seem to
matter until the game's dying moments.
Chivas and Tigres - the two clubs who qualified to Libertadores
from the InterLiga a year ago - went through from Group B as Necaxa
and Cruz Azul were ousted.
Necaxa got on the board in the 13th minute when striker Ariel
Lopez headed home a cross from Alfredo Moreno. For Necaxa, it was a
repeat of last season as Lopez led the club in goals with eight in
the Apertura 2005 campaign.
Chivas struggled to piece together possession inside Necaxa's
third as white-clad Necaxa defenders bottled up Chivas players
aggressively inside the box.
Necaxa went a man down after Rodolfo Espinoza was sent off in the
41st minute. Chivas and Necaxa players nearly got into an
altercation in the 41st minute when Espinoza swung wildly and made
contact with an official. Espinoza was sent off with a straight red
card.
But even playing 11-on-10 did not help Chivas much initially.
Necaxa still held off Chivas' valiant goal-scoring efforts. For the
second half, Chivas coach Hans Westerhof took out left midfielder
Ramon Morales for Sergio Santana, the longtime Mexican league
striker, in search of the elusive goal.
Omar Bravo nearly equalized in the 55th minute but his
close-range shot rattled off the crossbar. Carlos Salcido repeated
the feat five minutes later when his 30-yard shot clanged off the
crossbar as well.
Adolfo Bautista was denied on a point-blank shot as Necaxa keeper
Ivan Vazquez stopped him from six yards out in the 73rd minute.
Chivas appeared increasingly frustrated with their own lack of
finishing. Despite dominating possession in the second half, Chivas
were either too far off the mark in both their passing and shooting.
Vazquez came up huge in the 79th minute yet again. Edwin Borboa
shook himself loose inside the area and fired a shot from about 15
yards out. The ball deflected off a Necaxa defender and was destined
for the back of the net. However, Vazquez got enough of the ball to
push it over the crossbar despite having been caught leaning the
wrong way.
In the game's dying moments, Manuel Sol sent a booming cross form
the right side where it was flicked on to the far post toward Bravo.
The national team striker dived and knocked the ball past Vazquez,
who had made every conceivable save possible until that moment. The
sellout crowd erupted as Chivas players celebrated wildly on the
sideline.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This
story was not subject to the approval of the league or its
teams.
NECAXA - GUADALAJARA 1:1 (1:0)
01.10.2006: Carson,
California; The Home Depot Center
Attendance: 26,253
Scoring summary:
NEC- Ariel Lopez
(13')
GUA- Omar Bravo (93+)
NEC: 1- Ivan Vazquez (GK), 5- Victor Gutierrez,
6- Salvador Cabrera, 13- Luis Hernandez, 8- Fabian Pena, 14- Mario
Perez, 17- Fabiano Pereira, 20- Jose Alberto Hernandez (19- Tressor
Moreno, 84'), 21- Rodolfo Espinosa, 10- Alfredo Moreno (15- Miguel
Perez, 46'), 11- Ariel Lopez (16- Carlos Gonzalez, 66')
DNP: 33- Aldo Diaz (GK), 18- Victor Ruiz, 24- Mario Padilla, 69-
Luis A. Valdez
Head coach: Enrique Lopez
GUA: 1- Oswaldo Sanchez (GK), 3- Francisco J.
Rodríguez, 4- Hector Reynoso (16- Edwin Borboa, 70'), 5- Carlos
Salcido, 2- Diego Martinez, 7- Gonzalo Pineda, 11- Ramon Morales
(21-Sergio Santana, 46'), 15- Manuel Sol, 9- Omar Bravo, 10- Alberto
Medina, 100- Adolfo Bautista
DNP: 28- Alfredo Talavera (GK), 14- Alejandro Vela, 18- Christian
Armas, 19- Jonny Magallon, 45- Jorge Barrera
Head coach: Hans Westerhoff
Cingular Man of the Match: Carlos Salcido
(Guadalajara)
Booked:
NEC - Lopez (31'), Cabrera
(41')
GUA - Rodríguez (10'), Sanchez (20'), Reynoso (52'), Pineda
(87'), Sol (89'), Bravo (94+)
Sent off:
NEC - Espinosa (41')
Statistics
NEC GUA
Goal Attempts 3 23
Saves 9 0
Fouls 15 14
Corners 1 0
Offsides 2 1
R: Kevin Stott (USA)
A1: Chris Stickland (USA)
A2: George
Gansner (USA)
FO: Baldomero Toledo (USA)