• Chivas Guadalajara 2 (Pizarro 2’, Pulido 72’), Toronto FC 1 (Osorio 19’)
• TFC loses at home in 1st leg of Champions League final
• Chivas score 2 big road goals ahead of return match in Mexico
TORONTO – The G.O.A.T. in Major League Soccer have quite a bit of work to do against the Goats of Mexico.
Toronto FC dropped a 2-1 decision to Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara, famously known as “the Goats,” in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final on a chilly Tuesday evening before 29,923 spectators at BMO Field.
With two valuable road goals, Chivas head home for next Wednesday’s decisive return match with a huge advantage, needing only a draw to win the championship. Even a 1-0 loss would be good enough for the Goats to win the aggregate series on away goals.
The MLS Cup champs, on the other hand, face an uphill battle in Guadalajara in their bid to be crowned the kings of the continent. Nothing less than a 2-0 win at Estadio Akron will suffice for TFC, who are attempting to become the first non-Mexican team to win the Champions League.
Chivas’ furious man-to-man marking style gave TFC plenty of fits on the night. But for Reds’ coach Greg Vanney, that’s not why they lost. He bemoaned his team’s lack of finishing, and poor defending on both of Chivas’ goals. Mistakes were costly on the night for Toronto, especially an uncharacteristic gaffe by ultra-reliable goalkeeper Alex Bono on the winning goal.
“At the end of the day the score comes down to finishing your chances and not giving goals that you shouldn’t give away,” Vanney offered.
“I don’t think the outcome was based on the style of play, I think the outcome was based on both them finishing a couple chances that we should’ve dealt better with [defensively]. We had a couple looks [on goal] that we wish we could take back, but that’s how games are contested like that sometimes, that’s how the results play out.”
This is uncharted territory for the Reds, who won the first leg of their series in each of the previous three rounds. In the quarterfinals (against Tigres) and semifinals (versus Club America), TFC managed to earn the result they needed in the second leg to advance. This time around, though, they’ll have to win in Mexico, something they’ve never done in five Champions League campaigns.
“We didn’t come into this tournament just to make it to the final. We’re going to do everything we can to make it a special night in Guadalajara next week,” Toronto defender Drew Moor said.
Chivas manager Matias Almeyda quickly shot down suggestions his team was now the favourite in this two-game, aggregate final based on Tuesday’s result.
“There’s still 90 minutes left in this series. The result is still open. Now, both myself and [Vanney] have the benefit of knowing how the other teams plays,” Almeyda stated.
He later added: “Our team is one that has always played with humility and unity. We take nothing for granted.”
Both sides on Tuesday night were minus key starters. TFC was missing playmaker Victor Vazquez due to a lingering back problem. Absent for the Chivas were captain Jair Pereira, defender Edwin Hernandez and starting goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota, all missing out through suspension. Toronto defender Chris Mavinga returned for the first time following a lengthy injury absence. He was replaced by Eriq Zavaleta at halftime. Justin Morrow, who like Mavinga has been sidelined for weeks, came on as a second-half substitute.
A tension-filled contest sprung to life after a minute and a half when Chivas took advantage of some slack defending to open the scoring off a throw in. Isaac Brizuela played a low ball into the heart of the box, and Rodolfo Pizarro stabbed it home past a shocked Bono.
“It was a bad goal to give up. We weren’t even two minutes in. It’s a throw in on the side, we have to deal with it better. I don’t know if it changed the game, but it certainly put us in a hole,” Vanney stated.
That early goal seemed to rattle Toronto, as it looked to gets it bearings under a constant wave of pressure from the Mexicans. Slowly, the MLS Cup champs worked their way back on top and leveled the score through Canadian Jonathan Osorio. Jozy Altidore played a sublime through ball into the penalty area for Marky Delgado, and the youngster skipped past his marker before sliding a pass across the box for Osorio to tap in at the far post.
The goal was Osorio’s fourth of the Champions League (tops in the tournament), and it ended Chivas’ shutout streak at 301 consecutive minutes in CONCACAF play.
Chivas goalkeeper Miguel Jimenez looked poor on that goal, but he made amends later in the half when he tipped away a Sebastian Giovinco free kick that looked destined to nestle inside the near post. Just before halftime, Jimenez came up big again, this time denying Altidore from close range after the American was played clear on goal by a back-heeled pass from Giovinco.
Both teams came out flying after the break, with the Reds launching a counter that ended with an unmarked Delgado ballooning a shot high over the crossbar off a lovely setup by Giovinco. Minutes later, Bono did well to cut the angle and make an alert save on Orbelin Pineda with the Mexican bearing down on goal.
Chivas retook the lead when Alan Pulido’s free kick floated past a flailing Bono and into the far corner. The wind seemed to aid Pulido’s effort, but there was no excusing Bono’s poor positioning on the play.
“It [was] definitely a misread on my part,” Bono admitted.
NOTES: TFC returns to MLS action on Saturday with a road game against the Houston Dynamo… Mexican clubs have won every single CONCACAF Champions League since the inaugural tournament in 2008. Aside from Toronto, only two non-Mexican teams have ever made it to the final: Real Salt Lake in 2011 and the Montreal Impact in 2015… The CONCACAF Champions League winner qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup, an annual competition featuring the six continental club champions, including the winners of the UEFA Champions League. The 2018 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled for Dec. 12-22 in the United Arab Emirates.
[relatedlinks]
