Heading into the international break, Santos was given a golden opportunity: win against their regional rivals FC Juárez and they’d all but cinch up a spot in the Liguilla, skipping the repechaje. Juárez meanwhile needed the points to get back into the repechaje hunt, however couldn’t overcome a tough Santos side in their fortress TSM as Los Guerreros won 2-0.
Both sides started off well, getting some early chances that didn’t fully materialize. Juárez had the first sniff of an opportunity when a ball into the box in the first minute just missed the sliding attempt of Darwin Machís.