Could Memo Ochoa save Nicolás Ibáñez's penalty and save Club America? The media says yes

The first leg match at the Azteca stadium between Águilas and Tuzos was an exciting one, but a news story has caused a stir after the match and has made Azulcrema fans wonder: could Memo Ochoa save Nicolás Ibáñez's penalty kick and save Club America? Media outlets say yes.

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The news has shaken Aguilas fans since if Ochoa had saved Nico Ibañez's penalty kick, the Aguilas would have half a ticket to the Liga MX 2022 final in the bag. 

But what is the Mexican media's claim that Ochoa had in his hands the opportunity to save the team and didn't do it?

Could Memo Ochoa have saved Nicolás Ibáñez's penalty and saved Club America?

According to Mexican media reports, Memo Ochoa could have saved Nicolás Ibáñez's penalty kick and could have saved Club América, if only he had listened to Alejandro Zendejas and the rest of the Águilas' bench. 

According to the Mexican press, in the first leg of the Mexican soccer semifinal in which the Águilas were leading 1-0 until at least the 82nd minute, a penalty kick in favor of Pachuca was decreed by the VAR.  

The player chosen to take the kick was Nicolás Ibáñez, who positioned himself in the penalty spot to wait for the referee's whistle and take the shot, but while the whistle was blowing, something happened that could have changed the course of the match. 

As Ibañez was preparing to take the shot, Mexican media reported that TUDN cameras caught the team's bench and even Alejandro Zendejas telling Memo Ochoa where Ibañez would take the shot. 

However, the goalkeeper decided to follow his instinct and tried to guess which side the Pachuca striker would shoot from, going to the opposite side from where his teammates recommended.

As a result of his decision, the ball went into the back of the net, so Club América had to settle for a draw in a game they were desperate to win, to arrive at the Hidalgo Stadium with the advantage. 

Everything will be defined in the second leg match

Due to the penalty scored by Nico Ibáñez, everything will be defined in the second leg at the Hidalgo Stadium, where the Tuzos have been unbeatable in the Clausura 2022 tournament. 

Club America will have to have a game plan similar to the one they had at the Azteca Stadium, where they were the ones in control of the game, although this time they will have to be more attentive so that Pachuca does not take advantage of the opportunities that the Águilas could give them.

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