With mistakes from Andrés Guardado and Salvador Reyes from the 11 steps, León fell in the penalty series 4-3 against the Colorado Rapids, after tying 1-1 in regular time, thus being eliminated from the Leagues Cup.
León took to the field with the intention of taking the victory, despite the crowd against them, they tried to open up spaces, generate danger and score an early goal, but the opportunities were few against a well-positioned Colorado Rapids.
Although the Liga MX team was the one that generated the most dangerous chances during the first half, between the lack of forcefulness and the good interventions of the goalkeeper, the goal refused to come.
Things changed in the second half, with the MLS team taking the lead, taking control not only of the ball but also of the dangerous plays against the Panzas Verdes who were unable to get out of their own half due to the siege of their rivals.
Fortunately for León, the Colorado Rapids’ aim was not on their side either, as they missed countless opportunities in front of goal, not counting the goalkeeper’s good saves.
And his mistakes cost him dearly, since in the 79th minute, after a counterattack of pure speed, Jared Moreno took the ball, took a shot that hit the goalkeeper’s left post, only for Edgar Guerra to appear back and simply hit the ball home and put the score at 1-0 in favor of León.
But that sparked the fury of the Rapids, who responded with a goal in the 97th minute from Rafael Navarro, which sent the match to penalties almost immediately.
In the penalty shootout, with mistakes by Andrés Guardado and Chava Reyes, León lost 4-3, thus being eliminated from the competition, while Colorado Rapids advanced to the Round of 16 alongside the Timbers, leader of Group E.
HECTOR HERRERA SET HOUSTON DYNAMO ON THE WAY TO WIN
With a goal and assist from Mexican Hector Herrera, Houston Dynamo defeated Real Salt Lake 3-0, took over the lead in Group H of the Leagues Cup and qualified for the next round alongside Atlas.
Barely 7 minutes into the game, after a defensive rebound, Héctor Herrera appeared, hit it from the edge of the area and sent it home with a flash that the goalkeeper only managed to see when it was coming back for the 1-0 in favor of the Houston Dynamo.
At minute 24, the Mexican appeared again, but this time to lift a free kick into the area, which was headed accurately by Micael in front of the goal, to mark the 2-0 on the scoreboard.
Near the end of the first half, at 41 minutes, in a play on the right, Ezequiel Ponce appeared in front of goal, hit the ball and sent it into the net for 3-0 for Dynamo.
The score did not change and Héctor Herrera’s team advanced to the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.
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