Monterrey beat Puebla with many problems in the final stretch in the partial return of the Apertura 2024 of Liga MX corresponding to Matchday 16.
Football was unfair to La Franja in the first half, as not only did they fail to secure any chances at the Monterrey goal, but they also went into the break down on the scoreboard in front of their fans at the Cuauhtémoc Stadium.
Rayados, who failed in the Leagues Cup, showed in the first half hour the deficiencies pointed out during the management of Fernando ‘Tano’ Ortiz, today out of the technical direction of the Monterrey team.
In the 15th minute, Esteban Andrada was called upon for the first time in the game. Diego de Buen’s chipped pass over the defensive line in the penalty area led to Gustavo Ferrareis’ first-time left-footed shot, which crossed the ball but slightly to the centre to make the Argentine goalkeeper look good.
Ferrareis became a headache on the right flank. In the entire first half, only Rayados’ goal stopped his forward momentum, but before the disadvantage on the scoreboard, the Puebla player came close to generating an involuntary assist when he shot in the area at 22′. The rebound favored Santiago Ormeño, who shot first time with too much power and over the goal.
After 36 minutes of La Franja dominance, Rayados came close to the Puebla area, Sergio Canales controlled the ball and shot in two steps outside the area to hit the crossbar and ‘assist’ Germán Berterame on the rebound. The 0-1 fell on just the first dangerous arrival of Monterrey.
Canales took less than 10 minutes in the second half to get over the thorn of his shot before the break and again in two halves he dared to take advantage of the left foot from outside the area to not forgive on this occasion and score 0-2.
In the 71st minute, Rayados almost made things difficult for themselves when Andrada’s pass fell short for Stefan Medina and he tackled Alberto Herrera from behind. The referee immediately awarded a penalty, but after reviewing it with the VAR, it was determined that the Colombian centre-back touched the ball first, thus disallowing the penalty.
Puebla added drama with Ormeño’s discount in the 81st minute after a rebound off the crossbar and the timely arrival of the Puebla forward. However, the locals’ awakening came too late and they let three points go in the partial return of the Apertura 2024 of Liga MX.
