The hottest team in the Mexican Primera rolled into Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna in Chiapas riding a record eight game win streak. Chivas, powered by league scoring leader Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, looked to continue their record start against the lowly Jaguares. Staring up from the opposite end of the table, Jaguares were still searching for their first win of the season, as well as some way to keep their increasingly slim postseason hopes alive. The opposite standings of these two clubs were suddenly turned on their head Saturday night, as the youthful Jaguares shocked unbeaten Chivas in an emphatic 4-0 win.
Jaguares goalkeeper Oscar Perez celebrates the upset over Chivas. (Photo: Newscom)
Even without a victory on the season, Jaguares did come into the game with a bit of momentum. The young attacking tandem of Colombian striker Jackson Martinez and Brazilian midfielder Danilinho finally seemed to be clicking over the previous two games, a 2-2 tie with Pachuca and a 3-3 draw against Puebla. The Jaguares defense, though, had yet to pull its own weight, and few gave the unit any chance at slowing down the Chivas attack.
Behind a great home crowd, Jagures wasted no time taking the game straight to the visitors. The entire Chivas squad seemed to be taken aback by the relentless Jaguares attack, never falling into their usual rhythm. Jaguares created numerous scoring chances over the first 20 minutes, with Martinez and Danilinho making great runs into the box. In the 10th minute, Christian Valdez beat Chivas keeper Luis Michel, but the shot just missed off the post. In the 18th, Jesus Chavez should have earned a penalty for Jaguares as he was taken down while making a cut-back move in the box, but the referee did not blow the whistle. Jaguares were finally able to break through in the 34th minute on a beautiful strike from Jorge Hernandez. Hernandez played a ball cleared by the Chivas defense out of the air and sent a shot rocketing into the top corner of the net, leaving Luis Michel no chance at a save. Jaguares took this well deserved 1-0 lead into the halftime break, with Chivas actually fortunate not to be facing an even greater deficit.
Instead of sitting back and protecting their lead at home, Jaguares continued with the attacking pressure to open the second half. Less than ten minutes into the second, Martinez attempted a difficult acrobatic strike of a ball played into the box. Missing his intended target, the ball nevertheless landed in front of Edgar Andrade who powered it into the back of the Chivas net for a 2-0 lead.
Jackson Martinez and the young Jaguares attack are firing on all cylinders. (Photo: Newscom)
Even burdened with this two goal deficit, the high-powered Chivas offense still failed to awaken. Former Jaguar Adolfo “Bofo” Bautista created a few chances for Chivas, but the rest of the attack remained invisible. It was easy to forget Omar Bravo and Chicharito were even on the pitch, as both failed to get involved in any aspect of the game. By the mid-point of the second half all three key attackers for Chivas- Bautista, Bravo, and Chicharito- had been subbed out, but the changes made little difference in the team’s play on the field. With a two goal lead, Jaguares continued to press, and in the 68th minute Martinez, Danilinho, and Valdez strung together a clinical combination play, easily beating Michel again for a three goal lead. The young nucleus of the Jaguares attack was officially firing on all cylinders. A final insult was added in the 85th minute, as Martinez played a ball ahead to Gerardo Flores, who played it back to Martinez for an easy finish and an improbable 4-0 lead.
By this point Chivas had long been defeated. The record string of results was history, brought to an end in unlikely fashion by a young squad searching for its first win. The repercussions of this shocking result remain to be seen. Have the young talent in Chiapas finally fallen into place and reached a new level of chemistry and production? Jaguares hope this is the case as they attempt to use the win as a first step in making an unlikely run to the postseason. For Chivas, this embarrassing loss may just be a small bump in the road on the way to a finish at the top of the table. With a comfortable lead at the top of Group 1, the team can certainly afford such missteps. Chivas will return home to face Pumas next weekend, hoping to regain their form as they put this surprising loss fully behind them.
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