Monterrey took the three points from Puebla in the Liga MX women's regular season opener for round nine, winning 2:1 on Sunday evening. The visitors showed their class in the second half when they needed to, though the match was far from straightforward at times. And here's the thing, it was the kind of result that might have gone either way had the finishing been sharper on both sides.
Puebla started brighter, pressing high and looking to catch Monterrey on the break. The hosts created their first real chance in the opening quarter, but the goalkeeper came out well to smother the effort. To be fair, the away side wasn't troubled until the interval when they decided to change approach.
The turning point came around the forty-sixth minute when Monterrey brought on L. Garcia, who immediately made an impact. She scored within moments of stepping onto the pitch, catching Puebla's defence napping. The home side tried to respond but their shape looked a bit disjointed after the substitution.
Monterrey extended their lead through A. Lopez in the fifty-eighth minute, a well-taken finish after good work down the right flank. By then the game was slipping away from Puebla, who had lost their composure. L. Garcia received a red card in the seventy-second minute for a second booking, leaving the visitors with ten men but also giving them a chance to manage the remainder.
Puebla pulled one back late on through a set-piece in the ninety-first minute, but it was too little, too late. The visitors had already weathered the storm and refused to let the visitors back into the contest. And here's the thing, it was the kind of gritty performance that doesn't always show up in the statistics.
The numbers tell a story of dominance without control. Monterrey held 68 per cent possession and registered 11 shots on target, but only converted two. Puebla managed 6 shots on target from 95 attacks, showing they were dangerous on the counter. To be fair, the result was fair enough given the chances created.
The win moves Monterrey top of the table with 24 points from nine games, while Puebla remain rooted to seventeenth place with just three points. And here's the thing, it was a result we expected — the visitors had been flying, having scored 24 goals in their previous five matches. This performance was a reflection of that form, even if it wasn't particularly pretty.
