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CF Monterrey received a wake-up call on Saturday after their 2-0 loss to Club Deportivo Guadalajara at Estadio BBVA. Before the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal tie against Inter Miami on Wednesday, manager Fernando ‘Tano’ Ortiz believes it’s a blessing.
No team likes to lose, but Ortiz stated in his postgame press conference that the loss against Chivas serves as a reminder for the team to remain focused and not get too high on themselves.
“I’m going to say something that perhaps you don’t expect, but I believe the defeat did us good,” Ortiz told reporters (h/t ABC Deportes). “It did us good because sometimes a good slap in the face implies certain things within this sport, and I think it was a good moment for what happened not to happen…
“Although there are games ahead, it’s very interesting. It’s my job to make the players see that they had a good first half, in my opinion. After the expulsions, obviously against an opponent that also plays well.”
Nonetheless, while the loss serves as a learning lesson that they’re not unbeatable and have flaws to work on to win two trophies this 2024 Clausura season, they now have to turn the page. As a result, it means focusing on Inter Miami.
“This is football,” Ortiz added. “We’ve lost, we’ve won, we’ve drawn, and now we have to focus on the next match. As I just mentioned, everyone feels the sting of this defeat because nobody likes losing. But starting [on Sunday], we need to shift our focus to what awaits us on Wednesday at Inter Miami’s home ground.”