The men from the Cibao FC hosted the Chivas from Guadalajara, Mexico on Thursday, 6 February 2025 in the evening at the Cibao FC Stadium on the campus of the Pontifical Catholic University Mater et Magistra (PUCMM).
This was the first game of a home and away set of matches in the Concacaf Gold Cup competition. The last time these two teams met was some seven years ago, and the Cibao then lost 0-2 in Guadalajara, which was a major surprise in and of itself, since the team was barely three years old at the time and unknown in the football world.
Of course, the return game in Santiago was different, since the Chivas came prepared. The final score was 0-5. This year, the Cibao FC won its fifth consecutive league championship, finished second in the Caribbean Cup championship, and was gaining some stature.
Guadalajara was again the opponent, but this year’s team was not having a good start since it had not won but one game at the beginning of the season and was on a four game winless streak.
However, this would be the first game for the Cibao in the many weeks since the end of the Caribbean Cup. The team was being restructured with new players, and the director Junior Scheldeur was working with a team in which half were new players.
However, in the game, the Cibao winger, Juan David Diaz scored a wonderful goal and gave the Cibao a 1-0 lead in the first minute. For the next 89 minutes of regulation time the home team held on to that precious, historic goal.
When the referee added 9 minutes of stoppage time, the fans were shocked. And, as expected, at the 8:45 mark, Chivas achieved a goal to tie the match.
This was a defeat for Chivas against the lowly Cibao, but a historic event for the Santiago team.
A major step up in the region’s football scene. For Guadalajara, their fans were highly incensed, and the team left the field under a hail of plastic water bottles and other light objects.
Back in Mexico, during a press conference, a fan sneaked in and took the mic to call for the resignation of the team’s manager.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
10 February 2025