GUADALAJARA -- Chivas defeated Club America 1-0 on Saturday in the Liga MX Clasico Nacional, with a first half penalty from Angel Zaldivar handing the points to the Guadalajara side.
Here are three takes from an eventful evening at Estadio Chivas:
1. Chivas get job done as favorites
Chivas have come out of a critical seven days with wins against Guadalajara rival Atlas and Clasico Nacional opponents Club America. The six points will provide a massive boost of confidence for the team and talk of the all-Mexican team winning the Clausura 2017 is not at all ridiculous anymore.
Chivas came into Saturday's match against America with heavy expectations as favorite against a struggling rival and got the job done.
But this was not a pretty match showcasing the type of flowing football Chivas coach Matias Almeyda would like to see. There were lots of fouls and the referee became a focal point, but Chivas shaded the play and just about deserved the victory. It may not have been a Clasico Nacional that will go down in history, but it was so important for Chivas to get their first win over America in Guadalajara since 2011.
Alan Pulido drew a penalty from Pablo Aguilar in the 30th minute and Zaldivar slotted in to win a game that had few clear-cut chances.
Chivas coach Almeyda fielded both Zaldivar and Pulido up front, with Rodolfo Pizarro shifted out wide in a very offensive 4-2-4 formation. The amount of attacking players coupled with the intensity of the Chivas press stifled America, who will complain about the officiating, but had little response or verve.
It's onwards and upwards for a Chivas side that is fast gaining momentum.
2. Questions for La Volpe, Club America
What is Ricardo La Volpe's future at Club America? After Saturday's result there are now some serious question marks hanging over the Club America coach.
It's not that losing against Chivas in Guadalajara is such a disaster in the grand scheme of things -- although Las Aguilas fans will be hurting after Saturday's result. The wider issue is whether La Volpe is the coach to take the team forward and coax it out of the slump, which is probably partly caused by the lack of preseason after competing in the Apertura 2016 final and the Club World Cup. The squad is also arguably unbalanced.
La Volpe will point to the refereeing and Las Aguilas certainly didn't get any luck in that department. Miguel Samudio's red card in the 52nd minute was unfortunate. The Paraguayan did stamp on Chivas defender Jesus "Chapo" Sanchez, but TV replays showed it was likely not intentional. And in the first half, Sanchez made a really poor challenge that could've been rewarded with a red card and Edwin "Aris" Hernandez lifted his arm towards Renato Ibarra in his own penalty area, with the referee waving play on.
But America came to Estadio Chivas to sit back and hit Chivas on the counter, even when it had 10 players. There were a couple of early chances, caused by some slack Chivas defending, but this was not a performance America fans could be proud of, even if the team did fight until the end. And it isn't the first time this season that can be said, with America -- a team that has reached 10 consecutive liguillas -- on just seven points from seven games.
The ideal move would be to bring in River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo, or even pay Club Tijuana for the return of Miguel "Piojo" Herrera, although there are rumors that Club America's coffers don't run as deep as they once did.
Right now, it appears the longer La Volpe's reign as Club America coach goes on, the more difficult it is to see him succeeding over the long term.
The America boss was eventually sent to the stands on Saturday night for entering the field and tackling Sanchez, which summed up the Argentine's evening aptly.
3. Turning of the tide in the Clasico Nacional?
Chivas's recent record against Club America didn't bode well. The Guadalajara club had failed to win in its last seven matches at home against Las Aguilas. Guillermo Ochoa was still the America keeper back then. And in those games, Chivas had scored just twice. Even last year, Chivas won only one of seven games between the rivals, with America knocking them out of the quarterfinal stage of both the Clausura and Apertura.
But Chivas came into Saturday's match with confidence and a burgeoning identity and style under Almeyda. Perhaps most important of all, owner Jorge Vergara has pulled out his checkbook and spent on established players like Rodolfo Pizarro, Alan Pulido and Orbelin Pineda -- who was very good on Saturday.
Combined with the up and coming homegrown players, there is real and healthy competition for places at Chivas. Sure, Almeyda has to refine aspects of the team's play -- especially in the final third -- but Chivas are on the rise.
Club America, on the other hand, looks old and in need of an injection of energy. If you were to put money on which will have a better 2017, it'd have to be Chivas.
Perhaps, just perhaps, Chivas' victory was the start of a mini-period of dominance for Guadalajara in Mexico's biggest and most important Clasico.