It was a dominant performance in every sense of the word on Thursday as Santos Laguna blew out Queretaro 5-0 in the first leg of the Liga MX Clausura Final. The best player on the pitch was not the Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, but Javier "Chuletita" Orozco.
Orozco scored an eye popping four goals in the first leg as Santos was spectacular in every facet of the game. Queretaro looked nothing like the team that has been on fire over the past few months of the season, nor the team that played stifling defense throughout the Clausura playoffs to reach the final.
Ronaldinho did not start the match, instead he found himself in his usual role as super-sub off the bench. The move has worked in the past with Queretaro and their manager Victor Manuel Vucetich who stubbornly claimed that "we will not change anything," before the match.
His game plan may have backfired as the score was 3-0 Santos by the time Ronaldinho got off the bench. By that time, there was nothing the Brazilian could do to level the score as the outcome was never in doubt from that point forward. Ronaldinho was ineffective as Santos Laguna's confidence was at an all time high, and the Brazilian striker seemed frustrated and visibly upset especially after Santos scored two more goals late.
With Queretaro down five goals as they head home to Estadio Corregidora where the 35,000 seat stadium will certainly be rocking as they root on their club who is making their first Liga MX final performance under the new Clausura/Apertura format.
Unfortunately for the fans of Los Gallos Blancos, the club has a mountain to climb as they will need at least five goals in the match to force extra time and potentially a penalty shootout. With the team in dire need of goals early, we expect the 35-year-old former Barcelona and AC Milan star to start the game and try and net a goal early. Ronaldinho, who was acquired by Queretaro when his contract with Atletico Mineiro was cancelled last summer, has scored eight times in 28 games in Mexico this season.
He was very vocal about coming out of the first leg of their 2-0 semifinal loss to Pachuca last week and we expect Queretaro to "ride or die," with their most expensive star. We expect Santos to have their foot off the gas for the return leg as their five-goal explosion should be more than enough to hoist the trophy.
Ronaldinho will score a goal and give there fans something to cheer about, but Queretaro will not be able to overcome the huge obstacle in front of them and will win the second leg 2-0, but lose the Liga MX championship. We expect this to be Ronaldinho's final game in Mexico as a move to the MLS will be announced in the coming weeks.
Prediction: 2-0 Queretaro, but Santos Laguna will lift the trophy.
Betting Favorite: Queretaro -0.5 goals.
Over/Under 2.5 goals
The match will kick off at 9:30 PM EST from Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro, Mexico. It will be televised live on ESPN Deportes and Azteca America. It can be live streamed here, here, and here. If you prefer to watch the game from your smart phone or mobile device, download the Watch ESPN app.
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