MEXICO CITY (AP) – When the Toluca leadership approached Hernán Cristante to propose that he lead the team from which he was fired less than two years ago, the Argentine acknowledges that he should have meditated.
But very little. After all, you can’t say no to something you love.
After three dates of the Mexican Clausura tournament, the decision seems to have been the correct one.
To the beat of the goals of the Ecuadorian forwards Michael Estrada and Joao Plata, the Red Devils beat Necaxa 2-0 on Sunday to climb to the top of the local championship.
Estrada converted a penalty in the 24th minute and Plata added a goal in the 90th for the Red Devils’ second victory in three rounds.
Toluca remains undefeated and with seven points it is placed first with the same harvest as Santos, but a better goal difference.
It is a good start for Cristante, who returned to the helm of the team for this tournament after almost two years of absence in which his successors, his compatriot Ricardo La Volpe and José Manuel de la Torre failed in the mission to return him lost prominence. to the Red Devils.
“It is premature to talk about what the team is for, but we work with clear objectives and obviously one of those is to have the team at the top,” said Cristante at a press conference. “Communion with the people is going to happen when they see the team that surrenders and fights, but it is clear that we are going to have ups and downs because football is like that.”
In the first stage, between the summer of 2016 and February 2019 when he was fired for poor results, Cristante led the Red Devils to the final of the Clausura 2018 that they lost to Santos.
Toluca, the third team with the most titles in Mexico, behind Chivas and América, has not been proclaimed champion of the league since the Clausura 2010.
“The team is working on recovering identity, on getting involved to find out the institution where we are standing and the price that must be paid to be here,” said Cristante, a former goalkeeper who won five league titles with the Red Devils.
Necaxa remains with three points, in 12th position pending the other results of the date.
“We have generated very clear goal situations, today in the first half and with Mazatlán we generated many opportunities, but we have not had the forcefulness necessary to score goals and win the games,” said Rayos coach José Cruz.
Toluca gave the first warning at 12 minutes, with a shot by Argentine Alexis Canelo inside the area that was rejected with great difficulty by goalkeeper Luis Malagón.
Necaxa responded a couple of minutes later, when Alex Zendejas entered the area from the right and hit a powerful shot that went over the goal.
When the match was around half an hour, Idekel Domínguez fouled Canelo inside the area for a penalty that was confirmed by video refereeing and Estrada converted with a low shot to Malagón’s right post.
Necaxa complicated the game at 74 when the Spanish Unai Bilbao was expelled for insults.
At the end, the “Gallito” Vázquez sent a center from the right and Plata, from the edge of the area, took a shot at mid-height that beat Malagón’s shot for the final 2-0.
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