“You’re going to run out of fortnight,” said a fan of the Blue Cross to another of America with some nervousness. It was minute 97 and only one thing could happen: draw or victory for Machine. From the 11 steps, Jonathan ‘Cabecita’ Rodríguez decided it was triumph.
Cruz Azul returned to victory playing at home after a month and 12 days after defeating América 2-1 and extending their undefeated match against the Eagles to six games, since they have not lost since Closing 2019. The triumph was received by an euphoric outpouring of the heavenly fans, because in this tournament his team has only won three of the seven games played at the Azteca stadium.
The start was encouraging with an insistent offense, led by Santiago Gimenez and Orbelín Pineda, which culminated in a goal at 20 minutes, by Pineda. However, a review in the VAR ruled that it was out of place and the goal cry was drowned in despair.
Even so and with a torrential rain on top, Cruz Azul did not stop attacking and at minute 47, already on the compensation of the first half, he was able to put himself up on the scoreboard thanks to a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. Roberto Alvarado, who in the middle of the week had scored with the Mexican team in the friendly against Ecuador.
Victory was clearly the goal of a fierce Cruz Azul who disputed each ball as if it were a final. Ignacio Rivero, Luis Romo and Pablo Aguilar made even the strangest contortion in order to avoid Americanist attacks and thus add the three points that put La Maquina in the top 5.
However, the pause of the second half changed the landscape. América came back stronger than the rival and only at 51 ‘achieved the tie with a header from Federico Viñas and assistance from Miguel Layún, who reached four in three consecutive games, his best record in the MX League. Layún himself made the blue fans freeze with a shot to the post at 70 ‘.
America boasted better ball control despite having made modifications to its line-up after the final of Concacaf lost Thursday in Monterrey. Sebastian Cordova, Nicolas Benedetti and Viñas himself insisted, but the second goal never came.
What did come was a counterattack from Cruz Azul at minute 91, guided by “Cabecita” Rodríguez, who due to his unstable performance in the tournament did not start as a starter. A serious mistake of the eagle defender, Bruno Valdez, caused the off-hook that ended in criminal and expulsion (Emanuel Aguilera) in favor of The Machine.
Uncertainty flooded the stadium because initially the penalty was not designated. The referee, Luis Enrique SantanderAgain he went to the VAR but this time not to take a goal from Cruz Azul, but to give him a chance to score. So it was. The penalty was decreed at 97 ‘, when “Cabecita” took the ball and struck down Guillermo Ochoa to give the triumph to the cement group.
It was not only Rodríguez’s claim to his people in a tournament in which he barely had two goals before the penalty, a figure that contrasts with the nine he achieved in the last tournament, the title of La Maquina. The third entry by “Cabecita” also helped Cruz Azul climb to fifth place overall and touch the qualifying zone directly to the league.
“Due to the issue of absences we had in this tournament, the most important thing is to reach the league directly or in the playoffs, but with a full team,” he said as a previous Luis Romo, national team of Cruz Azul. Even so, the Young Classic helped them to climb to the top positions, since now they are only one point behind. Toluca in the fight for the first four places and still have two games: Wednesday in the Aztec stadium in view of Lion and on Sunday at CU before Pumas.
The total influx of the Azteca stadium for the Classic Young It was 31,260 fans, the largest of the Cruz Azul playing at home in this tournament (it represents 38% of the building’s capacity). The Machine will seek to close the tournament in the top 4 or at least stay in fifth to play the playoff at home.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx