Alicia Cervantes puts Chivas in the semifinals

▲ Licha Cervantes (center), the Liga MX Femenil's leading scorer, frees the Pumas goalkeeper. Photo @ChivasFemenil

Erendira Palma Hernández

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, April 28, 2025, p. 9

A goal from Alicia Cervantes sparked chants of "Chivas, Chivas!" amid a record-breaking crowd at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, sealing Guadalajara's return to the Liga MX Femenil semifinals after a year and a half with a 1-0 (3-0 aggregate) victory over Pumas, a team that saw its best tournament performance diminished by a lack of determination and a lack of definition.

Now, Guadalajara, which after finishing sixth in a surprising run in pursuit of its third title, will face América, its bitter rival and current league leader, in the semifinals of the 2025 Clausura tournament. In contrast, the Auriazules were eliminated for the fourth consecutive time in this round—the third under Marcello Frigério—although the farewell is even more painful given that they secured third place overall for the first time in their history.

We've been working seriously and professionally. We're not about individuals, we're about a team, and that's what makes you win games , said Antonio Contreras, the manager who just arrived at Guadalajara this tournament and is now surprising everyone in the playoffs.

The extraordinary performance of the auriazules, as well as the presence of Licha Cervantes at the match, led to a record attendance of 18,353 fans for a Pumas women's home game.

With the label of Liga MX Femenil's all-time leading scorer, Cervantes is accustomed to not missing a trick, and on this occasion, she sealed the series in the 69th minute, receiving a through ball to beat goalkeeper Wendy Toledo and sending the ball into the net. Thus, Licha increased her overall tally to 160 goals—139 with Chivas—compared to 153 for her closest rival, Monterrey forward Katty Martínez.

The shouts of "Goya" from the auriazul fans and the chants of the Guadalajara supporters, who turned up in large numbers despite being away, ignited the spirits in the stands throughout the 90 minutes, as they demanded that the teams unleash their offensive potential on the field.

With the two-goal deficit after the first leg, the game's dynamic was predictable: Pumas had to go on the offensive and Chivas had to wait for the counterattack. The script was fulfilled from the opening moments with a shot from Stephanie Ribeiro, one of this season's best scorers, while Alejandra Guerrero missed on a rebound.

The most redeeming aspect of the auriazules' last match was their tenacity. They dominated the game and had opportunities, but a lack of accuracy from their forwards, as well as a strong performance from goalkeeper Blanca Félix, condemned them to elimination.

It's painful (to be eliminated). The problem is the same one that many teams go through; there are a lot of games, we had a lot of injuries, but we're leaving with our heads held high , said Marcello Frigeiro.

The auriazul fans recognized the club's efforts in finishing among the top spots in the tournament and bid farewell to the players with the classic "How could I not love you?"

▲ The match started an hour late due to sandstorms. Photo @PumasMx

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, April 28, 2025, p. 9

Pumas suffered more, but managed to take a step towards the playoffs of the 2025 Clausura tournament after beating FC Juárez 2-1 on penalties yesterday in the first play-in match, played at the Benito Juárez Olympic Stadium and which was delayed for more than an hour due to a sandstorm in the vicinity of said building.

After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the winner had to be decided by a penalty shootout, with Robert Ergas securing the victory for the Auriazules with his fifth shot. Nathan Silva also took the correct penalty, while Adalberto Carrasquilla, Rogelio Funes Mori, and José Luis Caicedo all missed.

For the Braves, only Oscar Estupiñán scored, as Ángel Zaldívar, Avilés Hurtado, José Luis Puma Rodríguez and Diego Valoyes missed their shots.

To advance to the playoffs, Pumas still has to win the match against the loser of the second play-in match between Monterrey and Pachuca.

The match was scheduled for 5:00 p.m., but due to weather conditions and the Pumas players and coaching staff refusing to leave the field due to poor visibility, the game didn't start until 6:13 p.m.

When the starting whistle finally blew, Pumas came onto the field with great intensity, and just 11 minutes in, Leo Suárez had a clear chance to score, but his shot went over the goal, protected by Sebastián Jurado.

Just five minutes later, in the 16th minute, the felines managed to open the scoring through Guillermo Martínez, who, after cutting past an opponent in the box, finished with his left foot to make it 1-0.

The home side, led by Martín Varini, were undeterred and responded with a header from Dieter Villalpando from the center of the box that goalkeeper Alex Padilla managed to stop.

That was the Braves' first warning, as they tied the game at 1-1 in the 20th minute thanks to a cross shot from Madson de Souza.

The match became difficult for Efraín Juárez's team in the 35th minute, when Martínez, who had already been cautioned, was sent off after kicking Jesús Murillo in the face after a collision. Murillo was also shown a yellow card for dangerous play.

After this incident, tempers flared and the match became tense, with numerous fouls committed by both teams, who neglected to attack, so the scoreboard remained unchanged before halftime.

In the second half, the game continued in the same vein. Pumas struggled to create danger in the opposing penalty area, while FC Juárez failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority to turn the score around.

In stoppage time, at 90+6, the Bravos leveled the playing field by being reduced to one man less after José García was sent off for a foul on Jorge Ruvalcaba. However, in the final minutes, Pumas failed to capitalize on the situation, and the match had to be decided on penalties.

Karla Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, April 28, 2025, p. a10

We condemn acts of violence in our stadiums and invite fans to enjoy the matches with passion and respect, always following the instructions of the authorities at all times , the Liga de Expansión Mx said in a statement on its social networks.

He also indicated that the Disciplinary Committee of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) will review the match commissioner's report and begin an investigation to determine what is appropriate .

After Tampico-Madero's 1-0 victory in the first leg, the two teams drew 0-0 in the second leg, giving Jaiba Brava a 1-0 aggregate win over the semifinals of the 2025 Clausura tournament.

The elimination of the Guanajuato team, which played at home on Saturday, sparked outrage among a group of fans, who, enraged, stormed onto the field at the end of the match.

Private security personnel at the stadium tried to remove them from the field, but the fans refused to leave, so they began violently removing them, which increased the tension.

The altercation, which, according to various local media outlets, involved around 30 fans and lasted only a few minutes, did not escalate, and no injuries were reported.

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, April 28, 2025, p. a10

Liverpool. Liverpool were crowned 2024-2025 Premier League champions yesterday thanks to their 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham in Matchday 34, a title that equals Manchester United 's record of 20 championships.

Although a draw was enough to achieve their objective, Liverpool overwhelmed with goals from Luis Díaz (16), Alexis Mac Allister (24), Cody Gakpo (34), Mohamed Salah (63) and an own goal from Destiny Udogie (69), thus overcoming the initial goal by Dominik Solanke (12).

With 82 points, the Reds have a 15-point lead over Arsenal (67) with 12 left to play, leaving the Gunners with another year of honey on their lips, second in 2023 and 2024.

Meanwhile, Manchester City advanced to the FA Cup final for the third consecutive year with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Wembley Stadium, maintaining their chances of ending a disastrous season with a trophy.

In the final on May 17, City will face Crystal Palace.

In the Italian League, Mexican Santiago Giménez contributed a goal in AC Milan's 2-0 victory over Unione Venezia.

With this goal in the 90th minute, after American Christian Pulisic had opened the scoring in the fifth, the Mexican reached 70 goals in Europe and broke a streak of just over two months without scoring. This was his fourth goal for Milan. His compatriot Johan Vásquez played a part in his team's 1-0 defeat of Genoa to Como.

In Portugal, goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and his club, AVS, were thrashed 6-0 by Benfica, and in Belgium, César Chino Huerta's Anderlecht beat KAA Gent 1-0.

In Argentine soccer, River Plate defeated Boca Juniors 2-1 in the Superclásico played at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, on Matchday 15 of the Apertura tournament.