Toluca holds America to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Mexican Clausura final
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Top-seeded Toluca salvaged a 0-0 draw against defending champion America on Thursday in the first leg of the Mexican Clausura championship series.
The Aguilas, who finished with the second-best record in the regular season, had the best scoring chances but missed a couple of clear opportunities.
'It was an evenly played match. Toluca came to defend pretty strong. We proposed it, but did not know how to finish our plays,' Aguilas coach Andre Jardine said. 'It is a wide-open series. I think the second leg will be a different kind of match.'
The return leg will be played next Sunday at Toluca, a city located 66 kilometers (around 40 miles) from the nation's capital.
America, which reached the final after knocking out crosstown rival Cruz Azul in a rematch of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals, is aiming to become the second team to win four straight championships in Mexico. Only Chivas, from 1958 until 1962, has won four titles in a row, although with a different format.
Toluca, which is third on the all-time list of champions in Mexico with 11 titles, is trying to end a 15-year drought. The last time Toluca won a title was in the Clausura 2010 tournament. Since then, the team has qualified for three finals and lost them all.
'We played a great match on the defensive side. We need to rest knowing that the second leg is going to be as intense as this one,' Toluca coach Antonio Mohamed said. 'We know what type of opponent we are facing and it's going to be much harder than today.'
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz reaches final after Lorenzo Musetti retires with injury in fourth set
PARIS (AP) — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal early in the fourth set. Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when the eighth-seeded Italian had to stop playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Advertisement Musetti had treatment on the inside of his left thigh after the end of the third set. Alcaraz, who is seeded second, goes for his second French Open title and fifth major overall against either top-ranked Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the final. They were playing their semifinal later Friday. ___ AP tennis: Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
Fox Sports
20 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Carlos Alcaraz reaches French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retires in fourth set of their semifinal
Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz reaches French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retires in fourth set of their semifinal. in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
21 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US Open ‘25: What happened at previous Opens at Oakmont
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — A capsule look at the previous nine U.S. Open golf championships held at Oakmont Country Club: Year: 1927 Winner: Tommy Armour Score: 301 Margin: Playoff (76-79) Runner-up: Harry Cooper Prize: $500. Summary: Oakmont lived up to its reputation while hosting its first U.S. Open, with no one capable of breaking 300. Tommy Armour opened with a 78, and no U.S. Open champion since then has posted a higher score in the first round. It also was the last time a U.S. Open champion failed to break 300 over four rounds. Harry 'Lighthorse' Cooper appeared to be the winner, even after a three-putt on the 71st hole. Armour, however, holed a 10-foot birdie on the final hole to force a playoff. Armour shot his third straight round of 76 in the playoff to win by three. The Ryder Cup was held for the first time in 1927, and the British team played in the U.S. Open. ___ Year: 1935 Winner: Sam Parks Jr. Score: 299 Margin: 2 shots Runner-up: Jimmy Thomson Prize: $1,000 Summary: Oakmont again showed its brute strength when Sam Parks Jr., a professional at nearby South Hills Country Club, was the only player to break 300. He was tied with Jimmy Thomson going into the final round, but scoring was so difficult that none of the top 20 players on the leaderboard broke 75, and the low score of the final round was a 73. Parks prepared by playing Oakmont nearly every day for a month, and he had only two three-putts over 72 holes. Among those in the gallery was Harvard graduate Ed Stimpson, who was convinced the greens were too fast. He eventually created a device now called the Stimpmeter. ___ Year: 1953 Winner: Ben Hogan Score: 283 Margin: 6 shots Runner-up: Sam Snead Prize: $5,000 Summary: Two years after Sam Snead won the PGA Championship at Oakmont, he was no match for Ben Hogan, who won the last of his record-tying four U.S. Open titles. Hogan opened with a 67, but Snead whittled away at the lead until he trailed by one shot going into the final 18 holes. Hogan went 3-3-3 to close with a 71 for a six-shot victory over his fiercest rival. Snead never seriously challenged again in the U.S. Open, the only major he failed to win. Hogan became the first wire-to-wire winner of the Open since Jim Barnes in 1921, and the six-shot margin was the largest in 15 years. ___ Year: 1962 Winner: Jack Nicklaus Score: 283 Margin: Playoff (71-74) Runner-up: Arnold Palmer Prize: $17,500 Summary: In the most memorable major at Oakmont, 22-year-old rookie Jack Nicklaus heralded his arrival by beating Arnold Palmer in his own backyard. Nicklaus, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was two shots behind going into the final 18 holes. Palmer was ahead by three until flubbing a chip on the ninth hole and taking bogey, and a bogey from the bunker on the 13th left him tied with Nicklaus. That's how they stayed, Nicklaus closing with a 69 to Palmer's 71, setting up an 18-hole playoff. Nicklaus built a four-shot lead through six holes and withstood Arnie's charge that pulled him within one. Palmer three-putted the 13th to stay two shots behind and never made up any more ground. Nicklaus shot 71 in the playoff to win by three, capturing the first of 18 professional majors. ___ Year: 1973 Winner: Johnny Miller Score: 279 Margin: 1 shot Runner-up: John Schlee Prize: $35,000. Summary: Johnny Miller is the only player to shoot 63 in the final round of a U.S. Open and win, and it remains what many believe is the best round ever played in the U.S. Open. He was six shots out of the lead going into the final round, held by Arnold Palmer, John Schlee, Julius Boros and Jerry Heard. Oakmont was never more vulnerable, although its soft conditions remain subject to debate. Some say the sprinklers were left on; others say lightning made the sprinklers come on overnight. Miller teed off an hour before the leaders and made nine birdies. His putt for a 62 on the 18th spun out of the cup. ___ Year: 1983 Winner: Larry Nelson Score: 280 Margin: 1 shot Runner-up: Tom Watson Prize: $72,000 Summary: Larry Nelson opened with 75-73 and was seven shots behind John Mahaffey and rookie Joe Rassett going into the weekend. He played the final 36 holes in 132, which remains a U.S. Open record. A 65 in the third round left the 35-year-old Nelson one shot behind Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson. Nelson and Watson were tied when the final round was suspended by thunderstorms. When play resumed Monday morning, Nelson holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the 16th to take a one-shot lead. Nelson three-putted the final hole for a 67, but Watson missed a 5-foot par putt on the 17th and failed to catch him on the final hole. ___ Year: 1994 Winner: Ernie Els Score: 279 Margin: Playoff (Els 74-4-4, Roberts 74-4-5, Montgomerie 78) Runners-up: Loren Roberts, Colin Montgomerie Prize: $320,000 Summary: It was the first three-man playoff at the U.S. Open in 31 years, but it didn't have to be that way. Loren Roberts had a 4 1/2-foot par putt to win the tournament on the 72nd hole, but missed it badly for a 70. Ernie Els didn't look at the scoreboard to see that he had a one-shot lead, played aggressively and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt for 73. Colin Montgomerie was the only player to never have a chance to win, shooting his 70 earlier and waiting in the clubhouse. Montgomerie, dressed in dark clothing on a sweltering day, shot 78 in the playoff. Els opened bogey-triple bogey, but played the rest of his round at 1 under for a 74 to match Roberts. Els won on the 20th hole when Roberts' approach on the 11th caught a bunker and he blasted out to 30 feet and made bogey. Els became the first foreign-born winner of the U.S. Open since David Graham in 1981. ___ Year: 2007 Winner: Angel Cabrera Score: 285 Margin: 1 shot Runners-up: Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk Prize: $1.26 million Summary: Angel Cabrera became the first Argentine in 40 years to win a major. He became the champion sitting in the locker room as Jim Furyk faltered late and Tiger Woods couldn't buy a birdie. Cabrera made two birdies on the back nine, the last one on the 15th, and closed with a 69 to finish at 5-over 285. It was the highest winning score at Oakmont since 1935. Furyk was tied for the lead until he tried to drive the 17th green and made bogey. Woods, playing in the final group for the second straight major without winning, made only one birdie over the final 32 holes. ___ Year: 2016 Winner: Dustin Johnson Score: 276 Margin: 3 shots Runners-up: Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy, Shane Lowry Prize: $1.8 million Summary: Dustin Johnson finally won his first major after so many self-inflicted mishaps, and even with his best golf it wasn't easy. His ball moved as he prepared for a par putt on the fifth hole. The USGA decided it was worth a closer look and notified Johnson on the 12th tee that he may — or may not — face a one-shot penalty. Johnson played the last seven holes not knowing the score, and played like it didn't matter. The USGA penalized him, turning his 68 into a 69. No matter. His 276 was the lowest score posted in nine U.S. Opens at Oakmont and he won by three shots. Jim Furyk, who grew up in Pennsylvania, was a U.S. Open runner-up at Oakmont for the second time. ___ AP golf:
