“THE SERIES IS OPEN.” –GIBRAN LAJUD

McAllen, Texas (Feb. 21, 2018) –Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles overcame odds despite facing a handful of challenges Wednesday night.

The list of hurtles mounted for coach Diego Cocca’s team in its 2018 CONCACAF Champions League debut against Motagua FC of Honduras.

1. The game was played in a neutral field at HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas.
2. Playing in an international tournament in the middle of the week and a LIGA MX calendar.
3. Rain, thunder and lightning.
4. A power outage that lasted nearly an hour.

Despite all that, the Xoloitzcuintles managed to beat Motagua 1-0 in the first leg of a home-and-home Round of 16 series.

Jose Rivero sent in the winning goal in the 71st minute when he blasted a shot off a Julio Angulo pass from the top of the penalty box. This came after the team had to come off the field into the locker room while a storm moved by and power was restored in the area.

But despite the tough win, goalkeeper Gibran Lajud said the team must remain focused on closing the series at home.

“The series is open,” said Lajud, who maintained the shutout with a handful of key saves. “It was complicated because of the weather, the cold but the team managed it well. We talked about it in the locker room and we came back out focused to get the good result.”

The Xoloitzcuintles will take the result to Tijuana for the second leg Tuesday Feb. 27 at Estadio Caliente. Lajud said it will be key to have fans there supporting the team.

“We need to be strong at home and be able to advance and fight to get as far as possible,” Lajud said.

Club Tijuana will remain in McAllen Thursday where it will train in the evening as it begins to prepare to face Club America in LIGA MX action. It will visit Las Aguilas Saturday in a 2018 Clausura Week 9 match at Estadio Azteca.