“El Pájaro” Benítez led Toluca’s recovery with a double

Edgar Benitez celebrates one of his goals

Toluca.- Without putting up much resistance, the Leones Negros lost 1-3 in Toluca to fall to last place in the Relegation Table, where they are narrowly surpassed by Puebla and Chivas, who at some point in the start of the tournament have also occupied the bottom, in addition to Veracruz. The Diablos Rojos took advantage of the visitor’s weakness and with goals by Paraguayan Edgar Benitez and Gerardo Rodríguez have earned their merits to vindicate themselves with their fans after an irregular start to the campaign.

Now, the scarlet team has climbed to fourth place in the general classification and is aiming to improve its situation due to what is still missing in the squad where the Colombian Wilder Guisao made his debut this afternoon and where his injured countryman, Víctor Montaño, must return.

A strong first half was enough for Toluca to win the match, as the Lions only showed impetus and danger in the second half, but almost always without success.

At 26′, Benítez pushed the 1-0 in the small area against a sleeping Guadalajara defense, which never rejected a cross from Carlos Esquivel.

Although “Pájaro” scored what seemed to be his second goal at 28′, Rodríguez made it 2-0 with the seal of defense at 36′, when he finished with his left foot a pass from “crack” Paulo da Silva.

With that score as a rock, the Lions began to show signs of desperation. But neither the complaints nor the dramatic falls had any effect, as did the entry of Andrés Ríos for the second half.

The Colombian revolutionized his team, while Toluca maneuvered to overcome the match.

Ríos sent a shot off the crossbar in the 52nd minute, but the Devils also had other attempts where goalkeeper Humberto Hernández played the hero, facing shots from Esquivel and Jerónimo Amione, the latter who returned after being separated from the squad for a couple of days due to indiscipline.

The match only had a brief period of tension after Fidel Martínez’s free kick goal brought the Melenudos closer in the 85th minute. However, Benítez cooled the visitors’ hopes with the 3-1 one minute from the end to leave Toluca with 7 points, close to the leaders.

Contrary to them, the Lions will have to think about their 4 points and their status as bottom team in the Relegation Table, with a percentage of 1.00, lower than Puebla’s 1.0112, Chivas’ 1.0674 and Veracruz’s 1.0727.

(fuente: mediotiempo.com)