Deportivo Venados advances in the Third Division: 5-0 over Zitácuaro

Deportiva Venados forgot the ghosts of the rival goal and, with force, crushed Deportivo Zitácuaro 5-0 to advance to the final of Zone A of the reserve team playoffs of the Third Professional Division League .

The only team from the Southeast still alive in the finals, having become a benchmark, will now face the Artesanos de Metepec in search of the Zone title and the ticket to the "champion of champions," against Zone B (northern region), in a game to the death.

As the leader of the reserve team tournament standings, they have the right to open on the road and close at home.

And, pending confirmation from the League's top brass, the matches will be played Wednesday in Metepec, State of Mexico , and Saturday at the "Alonso Diego Molina" Stadium in Tamanché .

After two weeks of struggling in front of the opposing goal, failing relentlessly, this time the Horned attackers went all out to erase their poor performance. Knowing, of course, that they had to win to keep their dreams alive.

And after the goalless draw in the first leg at the “Ignacio López Rayón” Stadium in Zitácuaro , they played with focus and the goals came at the right time.

They took full advantage of the weather conditions, with sun and stifling heat.

Led by forward Jonathan Ciprián and midfielder Héctor Flores , they quelled Zitácuaro. The 5-0 victory was clear, but it could have been more.

The 1-0 scoreline came in the 18th minute. The Horned captain, José López , looked up, crossing the halfway line to find a way to filter the ball into the box.

He caught it with three fingers and delivered a goal-worthy service that Ciprián, once he had passed the defensive line, controlled and shot with his right foot to send the ball into the net.

The second came in the 35th minute. Midfielder Jassiel López saw Brayan Beltrán opening up and chipped the ball to him, sending him running towards goal, beating two defenders in his path before scoring the 2-0.

Deportiva maintained control of the ball and imposed conditions on their field for the remainder of the first 45 minutes, setting the pace of the game, against a Deportivo Zitácuaro that played the first half with great caution and without finding opportunities to break through the home team's defensive line.

At 6 minutes of the second half (51' of running time), the score was 3-0 with a pass courtesy of José Mendoza who first entered the area on the left, pulling the defense to serve the ball to Jassiel López who, completely unmarked on the right, aimed and shot at goal.

After the 3-0, Deportivo Zitácuaro's Juan Pérez was sent off for a foul on José Mendoza in the 53rd minute.

Deportiva Venados also had 10 men on the field when referee Benjamín Zúñiga issued a red card to Aries Gutiérrez.

Roberto Fuentes fired in a first-time shot from the back of the penalty area to make it 4-0 in the 68th minute after a series of rebounds.

The scoring was closed by Héctor Flores and Alejandro Núñez, who put together a good combination in the 82nd minute after a throw-in to break into the box and complete the 5-0 rout.