Richard Sánchez credits América boss for stunning winner against Toluca | OneFootball

It was a case of third time lucky for Richard Sánchez as his brilliant injury-time strike gave América a vital 1-0 win over Toluca on Wednesday.

The midfielder’s excellent effort from distance finally broke the resistance of the 10-man visitors to the Estadio Azteca after Los Diablos Rojos had Claudio Baeza sent off in the 31st minute.

Sánchez’s goal gave the Azulcrema their first win of the Apertura and lifted the pressure on manager Fernando Ortiz after his side had taken just one point from their opening two games.

“The truth is that the manager always gives me the confidence that I shoot outside the area,” Sánchez told TUDN.

“In the first half I shot twice and said ‘if I get another one, the last one and that’s it’ and the third one was inside. It was a nice goal.”

It could have been a much more comfortable evening if Álvaro Fidalgo’s superb effort on the stroke of half time had not been chalked off after Henry Martín was deemed to have interfered from an offside position.

Sánchez was critical of that decision but delighted to get the three points on the board.

“Yes, likewise (the VAR was unfair), we have been playing, we only needed a victory to be better, be calmer, gain that confidence that we needed,” the Paraguay international said.

It was the 26-year-old’s first start of the season, and he certainly made a strong case to keep his place in the engine room.