Club Tijuana started its Liga MX season with a 2-1 win against rival Guadalajara on Saturday in front of a sold-out home crowd.
Xoloitzcuintles was first to score with Martin Lucero heading a pass by Erick Torres in the 54th minute. The scoring play came off a corner kick from the right and Torres won the header.
Five minutes later, the Chivas tied the match five minutes later. Josecarlos Van Rankin beat his defender and shot the ball past Gibran Lajud.
The Xolos continued to apply pressure, controlling possession for most of the second half. That gave midfielder Ignacio Rivero an opening to score in the 75th minute. Rivero took the ball in midair and tapped in past Chivas goalkeeper Raul Gudiño.
Xolos’ defense and a couple of key saves from Lajud kept Chivas from making a comeback.
“The team didn’t lose its identity for the 90 minutes,” Tijuana coach Diego Cocca said in his post-match conference. “It pushed forward and tried to pressure against a great opponent who played well.”
The win gave Tijuana three points in Week 1 of the 2018 Apertura.
The Xolos will make their Copa MX debut Wednesday as they visit FC Juarez.
