FC Juarez Advances to Copa MX Quarters After Shootout Win

Bravos de FC Juarez defeated first division Club Leon in a penalty kick shootout 4-2, after a 0-0 draw at the conclusion of 90 minutes of play Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa MX. The scoreless draw was an indicator of a match that was hard fought between two quality teams that took to the pitch at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium and gave each other very little to work with turning the match into a defensive struggle.

Both teams struggled to generate opportunities over the course of 90 minutes as the match was bogged down in midfield leading to legitimate scoring opportunities to be at a premium. However, this did necessarily mean that it was a boring match. What soccer fans saw in the Borderland last night was a couple of teams that were well prepared and stood firm on the field of play, forcing each other execute as a whole and not let down their guard as the match could be determined as the consequence of a simple lapse of concentration.

When the 90 minutes of play were over, the penalty shootout would come immediately after with no overtime to be played. Bravos goalkeeper Ivan Vasquez Medallo would turn into the hero of the match blocking Leon's first two penalty kicks. FC Juarez would be a perfect 4 for 4 from the penalty kick spot to give the team from the Borderland the victory.

As for the difficult match that took place, Bravos head coach Miguel Caballero stated, “We knew we were gonna face a rival that would have their entire roster at their disposal, so we knew it was going to be a difficult match against a quality team that is having an outstanding season especially in Liga Mx. The match ends 0-0 then comes the penalty shootout where my team demonstrated their character under pressure.”

FC Juarez will now face first division Veracruz in the quarterfinals of the midweek competition. The match will be a home match for the Bravos and will take place at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium as a result of their number 2 seed in the bracket. The date and time for this match are to be determined. As for league play in the Ascenso MX league, the Bravos will have a bye weekend and will resume league play next Wednesday, March 6th when they visit Club Atletico Zacatepec.