Chivas defeated León by a score of 1-0 in León, Guanajuato to win the Apertura 2015 Copa MX. The hero for El Rebaño Sangrado was Oswaldo Alanís, who scored the game’s only goal and secured the title for Chivas.
This is Guadalajara’s first major title since winning the league in the 2006 Apertura season, and their first Copa MX since the 1969-70 season, back when the league had a European style model and the Copa was called the Copa México.
Guadalajara also gets a bit of revenge in winning this cup as in the last edition of the Copa MX they were on the other end, watching Puebla lift the Copa MX after losing in the finals on penalty kicks.
As for the game, it was a physical game on Chivas’ side as after all was said and done, Guadalajara ended the game with five yellow cards. However, León held most of the offensive chances, finishing the game with two more shots than the Chivas’ side.
Right before the half, there was some controversy as Rodolfo Cota, the Chivas’ goalkeeper, came way out of his box and handled the ball. León players and fans alike were in uproar asking for a red card for Cota, but the official only gave the goalkeeper a caution.
The game looked like it was destined for extra time, and maybe penalty kicks, but in the 71st minute it was Oswaldo Alanís’ heroics that gave Chivas the cup.
From a set piece taken from the left touchline, Raúl López curled a shot right into the León box that found a charging Alanís. From there, Alanís broke away from his mark and got his head on it to push the ball past USMNT keeper William Yarbrough to get the game’s only goal.
One could argue that William Yarbrough could have came out and challenged that ball as the ball ended up in the six-yard box, but the cross was struck with such force and Alanís literally came out of nowhere to connect with the ball.
#MiercolesDeFut Alanís de cabeza abre el marcador ¡AHORA EN VIVO! aquí en TDcom https://t.co/x2vgKZtTzV https://t.co/BLLl7Mjq5V
— Televisa Deportes (@TD_Deportes) 5 novembro 2015
The rest of the game after Alanís’ goal, León tried furiously to get an equalizer but looked flat on the attack. León were very close when Carlos “El Gulit” Peña fired a rocket that rang off the post right before the 90 minutes were up but, ultimately, would not find a way to obtain the tying goal.
At the final whistle, the embattled owner of Guadalajara, Jorge Vergara, was on the verge of tears when he was being interviewed. After both teams received their medals, Chivas stood victorious and lifted the cup, ending a streak of almost 10 years with no titles.
