De Nigris equalizer leaves Chivas, Club América to share spoils in Clasico Nacional
Aldo De Nigris climbed off the bench and slotted home a second-half equalizer to lift Chivas Guadalajara to a 1-1 draw with Club América in the Clasico Nacional on Sunday.
Paul Aguilar rifled home from distance after 16 minutes to provide América with a tangible advantage, but Chivas eventually responded through second-half substitute De Nigris’ composed finish to grab a share of the spoils.
The final result proved no less than the bitter rivals deserved on the night. América produced the superior chances with Dario Benedetto a recurrent threat as he led the line, but Chivas enjoyed more of the ball and eventually translated their superiority in possession into a deserved equalizer after the hour.
Chivas preserved a one-point lead atop the Liga MX table with the draw, while América sit three points back in seventh place as the Clausura wins to a finish. Las Aguilas boss Gustavo Matosas and his players now turn their attention to the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final at Montréal Impact on Wednesday (live, 8:00p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports Go) as they chase a place in the FIFA World Club Cup later this year.
This match cropped up at an awkward time for Las Aguilas, but the magnitude of the occasion warranted significant attention nevertheless. Both teams engaged in the tackle earnestly in a bid to establish the tone of the affair. The early clash between Darwin Quintero and Carlos Salcido left the Chivas midfielder hobbled and summed up those rugged exchanges.
América settled more quickly into the game and started to ask genuine questions of the organized Chivas defense. Those efforts eventually prompted the stunning opener from Mexico wingback Aguilar after 16 minutes.
The opportunity arose from tidy work in possession. A quick sequence of passes allowed Sambueza to play a square ball into space for Aguilar as he pushed into the middle of the field. Aguilar took his first touch well in front of him and then thumped a 30-yard drive off the underside of the cross bar to give Las Aguilas a firm foothold.
Aguilar’s wonderful shot from distance altered the course of the first half as América eventually focused on its shape and permitted Chivas to operate in possession. Chivas took good advantage of the space and reduced the threat on the counter, but the home side struggled to make the best use of the territory afforded.
The best chance for the home side came just before the half-hour after a cross from the right. Omar Bravo drifted inside his marker and glanced his header toward the far post. América goalkeeper Moises Munoz reacted well to his right and turned the effort around the post.
América went close again before halftime through a Benedetto header, but the visitors eventually coasted into the break with their advantage. The halftime withdrawal of the influential Sambueza through injury eventually restricted América’s effectiveness in the second half.
Benedetto benefited from the best América move after the break when he turned Miguel Samudio’s cross toward the Chivas goal just after the hour. Luis Michel reacted well to cope with effort and then set the stage for De Nigris’ equalizer shortly thereafter.
Chivas enjoyed the better of the play after the break with América noticeably hindered by Sambueza’s departure. De Nigris replaced the hindered Salcido moments before Benedetto’s header and wasted little time making his case for a regular starting place.
The entire move stemmed from careless work out of the back. Raul Lopez stepped high on the right and won the ball in a good position. De Nigris collected inside the penalty area and then sliced across Pablo Aguilar to create room to shoot. He then fired straight through the culpable Munoz to restore parity with less than a half hour to play.
De Nigris’ riposte should have sparked the match to life, but neither side seemed particularly capable of determining the outcome in the waning stages. Chivas looked the marginally more threatening of the teams without posing much danger. The balance of play left both teams to settle for a point and rue their inability to make better use of their superior periods during the proceedings.
