FC Juarez Defeats Mazatlan 1-0
FC Juarez obtained their second victory of this 2021 clausura season when they defeated Mazatlan by the score of 1-0 Friday night at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium. This was the second win of the season for the Bravos and their first win at home.
The 1-0 final score was result of a closely disputed contest in which both sides were extremely proactive in trying to get the win especially since both teams were coming off of defeats in their previous matches.
Goalkeeper Enrique Palos had three noteworthy saves that allowed the Bravos obtain the 3 points gained for the win, three points that were desperately needed.
The theme for 90 minutes for FC Juarez was diligent execution in all aspects of the match, both offensive and defensive. This alone made the team’s performance look exponentially better than when the suffered their 4-0 defeat one week earlier at Puebla.
The lone goal of the match came in the 53rd minute when forward Blas Armoa received a pass on the right flank of Mazatlan’s goalbox. Armoa got past one defender before crossing the ball that found Dario Lezcano who headed the ball in the left region of the goal.
The win gives FC Juarez 8 points in 6 matches as a result of 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. 8 points is currently good enough for 11th place in the general standings table, the Bravos inside the playoff zone. The Bravos also have one match in hand as they have a pending match against Tigres that was supposed to take place in match week 5 of the season.
After the match a somewhat relieved Bravos head coach, Luis Fernando Tena, commented, “We’re happy with the result, but we are fully aware that we have lots of improving to do, individually and collectively as a team. Our defensive system worked well today…however I think we needed to be a little more thorough on offensive to create more opportunities on goal.”
The team from the Borderland will have more than a week to work on that offensive proficiency as their next opponent will be Santos. The road match that will take place this coming Sunday in Torreon, Coahuila.