Mexicans Abroad: Jiménez and Chicharito Score, Vela Finally Wins ‘El Trafico’

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Welcome to our weekly highlight of all things ‘Extranjeros.’ It was another week in the leagues abroad. Here are the key points you might’ve missed from our favorite Aztecs:

UEFA Europa League

Jiménez Scored (And Rocked the Green Jersey)

Slovan Bratislava played host to Wolverhampton on the third leg of the Europa League and it was the first match the Wolves used their Mexican-inspired alternative green kit. Slovan took advantage of their quick breakaways and took the early lead in the 11th minute. However, the second half belonged to Wolves and Raúl Jiménez as they found the back of the net twice for the 2-1 victory. RJ9 scored the final goal for the Wanderers, courtesy of a penalty kick in the 63rd minute.

NEXT MATCH: Wed, October 30th against Aston Villa (Football League cup)

Everyone else: 

Porto 1-1 Rangers (Tecatito played all 90 minutes)

PSV 0-0 LASK (Gutiérrez played all 90 minutes)

Sevilla 3-0 Dudelange (Chicharito was not on the 18-man roster)

UEFA Champions League

Héctor Herrera Gets The Full 90

Héctor Herrera started for Atlético Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen on this third leg of UEFA Champions League group stage. Herrera’s last appearance in the tournament was back on September 18th against powerhouse Juventus. During that meeting, HH gave Los Colchoneros the dramatic equalizer in stoppage time a. HH played the entire 90 minutes and played a crucial role in the midfield, almost opening the scoreboard in the 73rd minute when he lobbed the ball just outside the 18, forcing the goalkeeper to make an acrobatic leap to prevent the goal. The only goal of the match came in the 78th minute thanks to a clinical header from Álvaro Morata. Atlético is now in second place, just behind Juventus by goal differential.

NEXT MATCH: Tue, October 29th against Alavés (La Liga)

Chucky and Napoli for the Win

It was a heated back and forth match between Napoli and the Red Bulls Salzburg with each team exchanging goals and the lead. Hirving “Chucky” Lozano got the start for the third consecutive time for the Italian club and while the Mexican winger was looking to find his groove and make a statement during the encounter, he fell short. The spotlight fell instead on the striker Dries Mertens who scored a brace and surpassed Diego Maradona’s all-time club goal record with 115.

NEXT MATCH: Wed, October 30th against Atalanta (Serie A)

Alvarez Almost Connects

Edson Álvarez got the start against Chelsea, playing a jam-packed 89 minutes and gave The Lancers several key opportunities throughout the match. In the 59th minute, Álvarez almost scored with a well-placed header off a corner kick but it was Chelsea who would finally connect in the 86th minute thanks to the USMNT player Christian Pulisic’s assist to Michy Batshuayi for the only goal of the match. Both teams now have six points in Group H putting Chelsea in the first position by goal differential.

NEXT MATCH: Fri, November 1st against Zwolle (Eredivisie)

La Liga

Chicharito Shoots and Scores

Sevilla looked to add more points in this year’s heated La Liga race to the top. With half a dozen teams now within two points of the league’s leader, Sevilla wish to remain part of that discussion. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández got the start for Los Palanganas against Getafe and made the most of it. In true Chicharito fashion, he found open spaces and kept the Azulones defense on their toes. Hernández had a few opportunities before the half and it was only a matter of time before the Aztec would connect. His patience paid off in the 69th minute, thanks to a counter-attack that left him one-on-one with the goalie for the goal. This marked Chicharito’s first goal with his club in the regular season and his third overall for all contests.

NEXT MATCH: Wed, October 30th against Valencia (La Liga)

Everyone else: 

Granada 1-0 Real Betis (Guardado played all 90 minutes, and Lainez was not on the 18-man roster)

Atlético Madrid 2-0 Ath. Bilbao (Herrera subbed in the 66th minute)

Real Sociedad 1-0 Celta Vigo (Araujo was subbed out in the 60th minute)

Major League Soccer (MLS)

Vela Advances While Antuna and Dos Santos’ Season Ends

The ‘El Trafico’ derby playoff edition did not disappoint and left us wanting more. After four days of build-up, both LA-based teams faced off for one last time this season. LAFC looked to conquer the Galaxy who entered the match riding a fifth consecutive unbeaten streak against the home side. Fans anticipated a high scoring game with contributions from the league’s two top goalscorers: Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Vela quickly put his critics to rest when he scored a brace in the first half. Uriel Antuna never really found his rhythm and was subbed out in the 58th minute. Jonathan dos Santos played all 90 minutes and despite doing his part to effectively control the midfield, LA Galaxy’s season-long defensive issues came back at the wrong time, ending the visiting side’s season with a 5-3 victory for LAFC. Vela and the rest of his team are now one game closer to finishing their historic season in perfect fashion.

NEXT MATCH: Tue, October 29th against Seattle (MLS Western Conference Finals)

Everyone else: 

Atlanta 2-0 Philadelphia (Fabián subbed in the 66th minute)

The rest:  

Ajax 4-1 Feyenoord (Edson Álvarez subbed in the 81st minute)

AZ 4-0 PSV (Erick Gutiérrez played all 90 minutes)

Wolves 1- Newcastle (Raul Jiménez played all 90 minutes)

Al-Duhail 2-1 Al-Gharafa (Hector Moreno played all 90 minutes) 

Napoli 1-1 SPAL (Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano had no minutes)

Porto 3-0 Famalicão (Tecatito played all 90 minutes)

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