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Clasico victory fuels Chivas’ playoff hopes

Chivas de Guadalajara reignited their hopes of making the playoffs with a 2-0 win over local rivals Atlas in Sunday’s “Clasico Tapatio” at the Omnilife Stadium.

The goals came from Rafael Marquez Lugo and Olympic gold medalist Marco Fabian, just as they did in the “Super Clasico” against Club America three weeks ago.

Chivas’ Dutch coach John Van’t Schip has come under increasing pressure throughout his underwhelming debut season, with the humiliating and unprecedented elimination of his team from the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League last week considered a low point in the history of the Guadalajara side.

But with two games left to play, Chivas now sit above Mexican champions Santos de Laguna in the eighth and final playoff position of the Liga MX. Chivas face bottom-placed Gallos Blancos in Queretaro this weekend, before hosting leaders Tijuana on the final day of league games.

Atlas, meanwhile, sit second from bottom, locked in a duel with Gallos Blancos to avoid demotion to Mexico’s second division, the Ascenso MX.

Another local team, Estudiantes Tecos of the private Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG), suffered this fate least season. On Friday they took on Leones Negroes of the public University of Guadalajara (UdeG) in the “Clasico Universitario” at the Tres de Marzo stadium.

The two clubs once shared a fierce rivalry but this was their first competitive encounter in 19 years, played out amid a rowdy student atmosphere. Tecos dominated most of the game and ultimately triumphed 2-1, moving up to second in the league table and boosting their chances of promotion back into the Liga MX.

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