TIJUANA (March 18, 2014)–Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente will play in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals after beating the L.A. Galaxy 4-2 in the second leg of the quarterfinals Tuesday night at Estadio Caliente.
Jaimen Ayovi scored twice while Dario Benedetto and Richard Ruiz scored against the Major League Soccer side to close out the home-and-home series with a 4-3 aggregate score. Ayovi’s goals came within 10 after kickoff, Benedetto also scored in the first half and Richard Ruiz sealed the win with a late second half goal.
Club Tijuana will face the winner of the Cruz Azul/Sporting Kansas City quarterfinals series in the semifinals of the international tournament featuring teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean. Coach Cesar Farias’ team continues its path in trying to earn a slot in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.
The Xoloitzcuintles came out fast trying to take control of the match from the start. It took seconds into the game for Ayovi to put Club Tijuana in the lead with a goal in the first minute. Ayovi sent in a loose ball near the six-yard box after tapping it past Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo after a scrum near the goal line. Ayovi helped his own cause starting the scoring play with a centered pass into the area looking for Joe Corona, who couldn’t control the ball and fell to the ground after the ball deflected off him and hit a defender. Benedetto took the ball and tried to shoot but a Galaxy defender got a foot on it, sending it wide to Ayovi who finished it for a score.
The Ecuaddorian striker found the net again when he beat the Galaxy backline on a deep pass by Javier Guemez from the midfield line. Ayovi sprinted to the ball in the area and separated himself from a group of defenders then beat Penedo on a one-on-one play. He sent the ball to the lower-right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead nine minutes into the match.
Club Tijuana, who came in to the match trailing 1-0 after a loss at the Stub Hub Center last week, took a 3-0 lead in the 26th minute when Benedetto, the Argentine striker, beat his man and sent a shot past Penedo to the lower-right corner of the net. The scoring plays were part of a barrage of attacking plays generated by the Xoloitzcuintles in the first half that included blasts from outside the penalty area by Ayovi and Guemez hitting the crossbar. Club Tijuana controlled possession heading into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
The Galaxy manage to score two second half goals but it wasn’t enough. Robbie Keane scored twice. He sent in a header in the 47th minute as he charged the net on an Omar Gonzalez centered pass into the heart of the goal. Keane scored again for the Galaxy in the 85th minute but Club Tijuana had already taken a 4-1 lead in the 82nd minute with Ruiz’ goal. Ruiz took a Benedetto pass into the area and didn’t hesitate to send a right-footed blast past Penedo. The Galaxy tried to even the aggregate score with a late rally but Club Tijuana goalkeeper came up with a series of key saves to preserve the Xoloitzcuintles lead in the final moments of the match.
Farias, the Xoloitzcuintles coach started Saucedo at goal with Javier Gandolfi, Gregory Garza, Elio Castro and Juan Carlo Nunez as his defensive backline. Cristian Pellerano, Guemez, Hernan Pellerano and Corona started at midfield while Ayovi and Benedetto were the starting forwards. Ruiz, Herculez Gomez and Fidel Castro were second half substitutions. The Xoloitzcuintles will return to Mexican First Division action when it hosts Puebla FC in a LIGA Bancomer MX-2014 Clausura Week 12 match at Estadio Caliente 7:30 p.m. Pacific.