The Tuzos of Pachuca put their failure in the Club World Cup behind them to give Rayados de Monterrey a reality check, who, unlike the Hidalgo team, had a better performance at the FIFA event, clearly defeating them 3-0 in the start of the 2025 Liga MX Apertura tournament.

With goals from Venezuelans Jhonder Cádiz, Alexei Domínguez and Elías Montiel, the Tuzos resolved a duel that cost them work in the first 50 minutes, but after Cádiz scored the first goal things changed and the team led by Jaime Lozano headed to victory by three goals difference.

But beyond everything, Monterrey sought to emulate the performance it showed against Inter Milan, River Plate of Argentina and Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, with actions with the same intensity and ability of its players such as Jesús “Tecatito” Corona and Germán Berterame, the absence of Colombian Nelson Deossa being very noticeable.

Both teams sought to impose their respective styles of play during the first 45 minutes, where Rayados perhaps showed better ball handling and control of the action, but without the depth of the FIFA tournament, especially because their game was slower and less vertical, with the absence of the Colombian Deossa being noticeable.

It is true that in the first half, Corona had a chance to put Rayados ahead, but a scissor kick shot hit the post and wouldn't go in and another shot from Berterame was controlled by goalkeeper Moreno, while Mele, the Uruguayan goalkeeper of Rayados, denied them a goal that was almost a done deal with a point-blank shot from the Hidalgo forward.

The other side of the coin

But from the 50th minute onwards things changed, when Pachuca was able to beat the Rayados defenders, with Sergio Ramos coming out to cover an area,but behind them they were left uncovered and allowed Jhonder Cádiz to receive the ball in the area on the right side to bring the ball down and without thinking he pointed the ball to beat the debuting Uruguayan goalkeeper Santiago Mele who appeared in place of Esteban “Sabandija” Andrada.

At first the play in the center by Alan Bautista was marked as offside by the assistant Enedina Castillo, but in the VAR review, the referee Víctor Cáceres approved the goal to put his team ahead.

But Monterrey had barely recovered from the first goal of the Tuzos, when five minutes later a great pass from the Venezuelan Cádiz de rabona to send Alexei Domínguez into the gap, who easily took on his marker and on the exit of Mele beat him with a low shot that put the score at 2-0.

The Rayados wanted to wake up from the slump of that lapse, but in the 77th minute, a collective play from the clearance by goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, the header by Jhonder Cádiz and the extension into the gap towards Víctor “Pocho” Guzmán, allowed him to leave a gift to Elías Montiel on the left flank who, unmarked, beat Mele and put the final 3-0.