Three goals, zero assists, one wrecked Necaxa defense. Henry Martín did all his damage with his boots on Sunday, scoring a hat trick to lead Club América to a 4-2 win away at Club Necaxa in the Liga MX Apertura.
A Complete Night in Front of Goal
Every one of Martín's contributions came from open play finishing rather than setup work. He was directly involved in three of América's four goals, and none of them came via an assist. That kind of pure scoring output is rare, and it earned him a match rating of 9.0, comfortably the highlight of the game for either side.
Necaxa were not without answers, finding the net twice themselves, but the gap in the final score, 2-4, tells the story of a match América controlled where it mattered most: at the top end of the pitch.
The Bigger Picture
For a forward, a hat trick against a direct opponent is as clean a statement as there is. Martín did not need to combine or create for others; he simply kept finding the back of the net. Three goals in a single match is the kind of return that decides games on its own, and against Necaxa it proved decisive.
América will take the three points and the manner of the win. Necaxa, who conceded four while scoring two of their own, will have to look at how they let one man do so much damage inside a single ninety minutes.
On a weekend of eye-catching individual displays across Liga MX, Henry Martín's night stands out simply because of how direct it was. No assists, no fuss, just three goals that took the game away from Necaxa.