Cruz Azul bounced back from their tie in the first leg to defeat Chivas by a 2-1 score that send the team to the Liga MX final. Cruz Azul gave a great performance after many people though Chivas had the advantage of going thru with their away tie in the first leg. Cruz Azul was one of the few teams to defeat Chivas in the regular season and did so again by the same score and will now await the winner of the Pumas vs Pachuca series to see who they face as they try to get another Liga MX title.
The first half started with Chivas coming out with a more defensive starting 11 than in the first leg as they sat Ricardo Marin. A cross into the area by Omar Campos was badly cleared by Bryan Alonso Gonzalez. It went right to Jeremy Marquez, who got off a right footed shot that was deflected by Chivas’ goalkeeper, Oscar Whalley, but the ball still went into the net to give Cruz Azul the early 1-0 lead. Now Chivas needed to go into the attack to get the goal to once again have them in the final. From outside the area, Omar Govea got off a right footed shot that went under the legs of Willer Ditta and then went past Cruz Azul’s goalkeeper, Kevin Mier to score and tie the match at 1-1. 2 minutes after, Chivas had once again the series in their favor. After lowering the ball in the area, Christian Ebere got past Diego Campillo and got off a great shot that was brilliantly saved by Whalley. Off a corner kick, Campillo cleared the ball and it went close to being an own goal. Carlos Rotondi got off a left footed shot from outside the area that was saved by Whalley. A good combination play by Cruz Azul ended with Ebere getting off a shot from inside the area that was just deflected wide by Ruben Gonzalez. Efrain Alvarez got off a left footed shot that went wide. Off a corner kick, Alonso Gonzalez would get off a great header that forced a great save from Mier. A cross in the area was headed from close range by Alonso Gonzalez but Mier made a great save. Jose Paradela would get off a right footed shot that was well saved by Whalley. Off a counter, Rotondi ended up with a left footed shot that was saved by Whalley. Alvarez got off a shot inside the area that Mier easily got to it. The halftime whistle blew and Chivas and Cruz Azul had played an even half but the home side still had the advantage for the final.
The 2nd half started with Chivas subbing out Efrain Alvarez for Ricardo Marin. A bad clearance allowed Agustin Palavecino to get off a that was deflected right into the path of Rotondi, who from close range send his header wide in a terrible miss. Palavecino would win the ball in the area and get off a close range shot but Whalley made a wonderful save. From outside the area, Paradela got off a great left footed shot but once again Whalley made another great save. Chivas subbed out Richard Ledezma and Santiago Sandoval for Daniel Aguirre and Yael Padilla. Marin got off a left footed shot that Mier had trouble with but was able to get to the rebound. A cross into the area almost got deflected into their own net by Campos. From outside the area, Agustin Palavecino got off a left footed shot that was deflected off Campillo, which made the ball go past Whalley to score and give Cruz Azul the 2-1 lead. Chivas subbed out Miguel Gomez and Jose Castillo for Hugo Camberos and Sergio Aguayo. Cruz Azul subbed out Carlos Rotondi and Christian Ebere for Luka Romero and Gabriel Fernandez. From way outside the area, Alonso Gonzalez got off a left footed shot that forced a save from Mier. A controversial play happened when a throw in into the area looked to have hit the hand of Fernandez but no Penalty Kick was given. Cruz Azul subbed out Agustin Palavecino and Omar Campos for Andres Montaño and Jesus Orozco. A cross into the area from Govea was just missed by Aguayo from close range, in a bad miss. Cruz Azul subbed out Jose Paradela for Amaury Morales. A cross into the area was headed by Marin right to Mier. A throw in into the area was headed wide by Marin. Off a corner kick, Padilla would volley the cross but it was cleared by Cruz Azul’s defense. It would be the last chance as Cruz Azul held on for the victory that gave them the ticket to the Liga MX final.
After the 2-2 tie in the first leg, Chivas was favored to go thru. Although Cruz Azul had played well at times, Chivas had gotten a great result as a tie at home would give them the ticket thru. Yet this time, Cruz Azul surprised by being the clearly better team. Chivas’ goalkeeper, Whalley, was the best player and although he came up big at time, he couldn’t stop Cruz Azul from going thru. Cruz Azul will now go to the final without knowing where they will play (although they had returned to Estadio Banorte, the stadium is now unavailable as FIFA has taken it over for the World Cup) and who they will face but with probably the best squad still playing, they will be favored to win it all for the first time since 2021. On the other hand, Chivas’ great season came to an end and it will be frustrating for their fans especially those that feel that the team was hurt by the National team and the fact they lost five players to the training camp. Yet Chivas had a great season and with Coach Gabriel Milito, they should be getting to the final sooner than expected.
