Photo: Pachuca Femenil.
The wait is officially over for Jenni Hermoso. After months of rehabbing and recovering from a knee injury that kept her out of Spain’s EURO 2022 squad, Hermoso made her long-awaited debut for Pachuca on Monday night.
Hermoso made the move to Liga MX Femenil this past offseason after three years with Barcelona. Hermoso spent her entire career in Europe up until her move to Mexico, making a big splash for the league with her signing. Last month, Hermoso hinted that her debut would be imminent during a Week 3 interview after being introduced at a Pachuca men’s team match.
After speaking highly about the club’s facilities, Hermoso said she was ready to begin her rehab during Week 3. She had previously been recovering in Spain. “I think I have some very good means to be able to recover as soon as possible and be with my colleagues soon,” Hermoso said.
She joined her colleagues in the 70th minute, entering the match for Marlyn Campa. When Hermoso made her way on the pitch, Pachuca had a slim 1-0 lead over Querétaro.
However, soon after Hermoso’s entrance, Pachuca started to run away with the match.
Charlyn Corral scored the opening goal in the 39th minute off a strike that slipped underneath Gallos goalkeeper Marta Alemany. Although, it was Corral’s celebration that got fans talking on social media. In front of her home crowd, Corral made a motion to her ears and began to shush the crowd. According to Yahoo! Sports Deportes, Corral was “beckoning to the stands, as if telling them to keep talking, and also made the gesture of the ‘sleeve cut.’”
Corral made a statement of her own after the match on her personal Twitter account, stating that she was “insulted by a group of about five fans who made fun of her physique every time she touched the ball… Corral confirmed the veracity of the document” — which is shown below — “and also denied the version that it was a widespread booing of the stadium.”
Corral got the last laugh, scoring again in the 90th minute. Also adding a brace in the match was Lizbeth Ángeles, who scored in the 72nd and 86th minutes. Querétaro did get on the board, courtesy of Leidy Ramos, in the 83rd minute, but couldn’t contain Pachuca’s attack.
Mazatlán 0, Tigres 8
If there was any doubt about Tigres from the first two matches, it’s long gone now. Tigres, with new head coach Carmelina Moscato, was working with a young, inexperienced roster in Week 1 and 2 while the big-name international players were at Concacaf World Cup Qualifying. With rosters at their full strength, Tigres has been showing off the dominance that they’re known for.
On the road against Mazatlán, Tigres earned a big three points. However, it’s the goals that are much more important than the points. Tigres always find themselves in the hunt for the top spot in Liga MX Femenil. Right now, the top spot is held by Chivas, who have won all seven of their matches. However, Tigres and Chivas have not met yet this season, and one slip up could bring Tigres in contention for the top spot.
Tigres has the best goal differential in Liga MX Femenil right now due to their eight goals on Monday night. In fact, Tigres sits in second place on a goal differential of +17, while Chivas has 21 points, but a goal differential of +12.
Stephany Mayor, Mia Fishel and Uchenna Kanu recorded a brace each, compiling six goals between the three players. Greta Espinoza scored for Tigres, while things went from bad to worse for Mazatlán when Alejandra Escobedo scored an own goal in the 41st minute.
Other Apertura Week 7 Scores
- Club América 3-1 Necaxa
- C.F. Monterrey 3-0 Club León
- Atlas 1-3 Chivas de Guadalajara
- Puebla 3-2 Club Tijuana
- Atlético San Luis 2-0 FC Juárez
- Toluca 2-0 Cruz Azul
- Santos Laguna 1-2 UNAM Pumas
Liga MX Femenil Apertura Table | Week 7
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.
| Team | W | D | L | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chivas de Guadalajara | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 21 |
| Tigres | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 16 |
| UNAM Pumas | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| C.F. Monterrey | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 14 |
| Club América | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Toluca | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| Club Tijuana | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 11 |
| Pachuca | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 10 |
| Atlas | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 10 |
| Santos Laguna | 3 | 0 | 4 | 13 | -3 | 9 |
| Cruz Azul | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -1 | 8 |
| Club León | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | -5 | 8 |
| Puebla | 2 | 0 | 5 | 17 | -5 | 6 |
| Atlético San Luis | 2 | 0 | 5 | 17 | -8 | 5 |
| Mazatlán | 1 | 2 | 4 | 19 | -14 | 5 |
| FC Juárez | 1 | 1 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 |
| Querétaro | 1 | 1 | 5 | 20 | -10 | 4 |
| Necaxa | 0 | 2 | 5 | 17 | -13 | 2 |
Looking Ahead: Apertura Week 8
*All Times in Eastern Time.
Friday, Aug. 19: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Santos Laguna at 6:05 PM
Friday, Aug. 19: Querétaro vs. Atlas at 8 PM
Friday, Aug. 19: Tigres vs. Pachuca at 9 PM (ViX+ Streaming)
Friday, Aug. 19: Club Tijuana vs. UNAM Pumas at 10:05 PM
Saturday, Aug. 20: Cruz Azul vs. Necaxa at 1:00 PM (ViX+ Streaming)
Monday, Aug. 22: Toluca vs. FC Juárez at 6 PM (ViX+ Streaming)
Monday, Aug. 22: Club León vs. Atlético San Luis at 10 PM
Monday, Aug. 22: Mazatlán vs. C.F. Monterrey at 10 PM
*Club América vs. Puebla’s Week 8 match will be played on Sept. 4 at 1 PM.
