Los Rayos came close to advancing to the semifinals, but lost to Tigres on a controversial last-minute goal
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Guido Pizarro to coach second semifinal as a managerThe first leg against Toluca will be played on WednesdayThe return leg taking place SaturdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Nicolás Larcamón, head coach of Necaxa, exploded after a controversial elimination in the Liga MX quarterfinals against Tigres. came close to advancing to the semifinals of Mexican football, but a last-minute goal – combined with controversial decisions by the refereeing team – prevented it.
The first controversy arose when the fourth official added eight minutes of stoppage time in a match where not much time had been lost. In the 97th minute, during a play inside Necaxa’s six-yard box, with players trying to clear the ball and Tigres pushing to score, Necaxa’s Alejandro Mayorga ended up sending the ball into his own net.
However, several potential fouls seemed to have occurred. At first, the goal was awarded to Tigres, but then it was overturned by VAR. Eventually, the referee went to review the play himself, and almost 10 minutes later, he declared the goal valid for Tigres, who advanced to the semifinals.
The final score was 2-2, but due to their higher standing in the table, Tigres advanced to the semifinals of the Clausura 2025. In light of the controversial way Necaxa was eliminated, Larcamón did not hold back and spoke out about Marco Antonio Ortiz's decision.
“It’s important that you speak and report the facts," Larcamón said. "If we speak, we get sanctioned and fined… I’m proud of my group of players. I have deep admiration for this team that had nothing at the beginning of December. We deserved more.”
Larcamón then clashed with one of the journalists in the news conference at the Estadio Volcán. When asked about the significance of his teams in playoff competitions, the coach became visibly upset and exchanged words with the journalist. He later clarified that it wasn't personal, apologized, and explained that he was simply upset by what had just happened:
“All good, it’s not about you. I’m just really heated, I’m outraged, that’s the word.”
The Necaxa coach told his players to keep their heads up. Despite not being favorites from the start of the tournament, he said the team should feel proud of their Clausura 2025 performance:
“I asked them to lift their heads," he said. "This group showed that you can get rid of excuses and go all in. We built a truly exemplary path from every point of view. I’m proud of that. What the players have shown over these past months – they should feel proud and walk away with their heads held high. Even though it hurts and is incredibly frustrating because of how it happened, I told them that it’s been a privilege to lead this group.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT GUIDO PIZARRO SAID
The Tigres coach made it clear that what happened today at was a reflection of his club’s history and their perseverance. In addition, he said that they deserved to move on to the semifinals.
"I experienced it with a lot of emotion," he said. "I'm proud of our team, of our people – that’s the history of our club, to never give up and to keep pushing. Once again, we demonstrated the values of our institution, which is our people. Today, in the end, the reward came – well-deserved, because we played better football than they did. We're happy with the result, but now we have to focus on what's coming."
Pizarro also acknowledged that the team will make necessary adjustments in the coming days:
"We played better football," he said, "I think up until the first goal we scored, we played very well – the match was under control. Then we had a small slump, but I'm happy with the team's performance. Our goal is to make it to the last day of the tournament."
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
Guido Pizarro has only managed 15 matches as a head coach, yet he has already led Tigres to two semifinals — the Champions Cup, where they were eliminated by Cruz Azul, and now the Liga MX, where he will be aiming for his first title as a manager.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TIGRES?
Pizarro's side will host Toluca next Wednesday in the semifinals, with the return leg scheduled for next Saturday.