SoccerHomeLiga MX

Cruz Azul Hits Rock Bottom Against LAFC

By Pedro Dorantes
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 16: Orbelin Pineda #31 of Cruz Azul dribbles the ball during the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal game against Los Angeles FC at Exploria Stadium on December 16, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

Liga MX and MLS met again this Wednesday for day two of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League restart. LAFC defeated Cruz Azul in a unique single league match up. The night was windy and chilly but the old rival countries were once again ready for battle.

Early Struggles at Exploria Stadium

Cruz Azul showed some offense off set pieces very early on in the game. LAFC found his first shot at goal on a Diego Rossi strike stopped by the crossbar. Los Angeles moved fast up the field, they did not dominate ball possession in the early goings but, their first touch moves made up for it. Cruz Azul on the other hand struggled at the back and relied on Luis Romo to clear out danger from the MLS side. Nonetheless, a foul inside the box gave the Mexican squad some life as Yoshimar Yotun converted chip shot PK to give his team the lead. Azul was up by one at the 15th-minute mark.

LAFC didn’t change anything after the goal. This clearly worked to keep their rivals boxed in their own half of the field. At one point, they seemed to have ripped a page off of Atletico Madrid’s playbook since everyone fell back to defend. A foul by keeper Sebastian Jurado gave the Californian team an opening and they took advantage of it. Carlos Vela converted on the second PK of the match to level the score at the 36th minute. Teams left for the showers 1-1.

Hanging in There by the Edge of their Teeth

Not much changed for Cruz Azul at the start of the second half. They were still overwhelmed by the black and gold pace of play. Moreover, La Maquina’s zone marking kept proving ineffective as Vela and Rossi had plenty of space to move near the touchlines. While the Mexican XI did pick up the pace, they were still losing 50/50 balls. Interim coach Armando Gonzalez seemed to be in his own head during the second half, he sat on the bench and barely gave any instructions to his team.

Embed from Getty Images

Perhaps the only bump in the road for Los Angeles was Tristan Blackmon. The 24-year-old defender landed awkwardly on his knee at the 62nd minute, he got up and defended pretty fiercely for a couple of minutes, but ultimately, could not go on and was subbed by Mohamed El Monir.

Kwadwo Opoka proved to be a super-sub for Bob Bradly’s squad. The Ghanaian youngster came in at the 58th minute and left his mark on the game a few minutes later scoring with a laser-like shot off the edge of the box to put his team on the lead.

The Mexico City squad went for a last push to even the score aided by sub in Milton Caraglio. That push, however, turned in mostly desperation long ball that only found either Jesus Murillo‘s or Eddie Segura‘s boots.

Final Score: LAFC 2-1 Cruz Azul

“A Year Full of Failures”

Cruz Azul has taken yet another hard loss after being eliminated from the Liga MX playoffs by Pumas last week. Defender Romo had some tough words after Wednesday’s defeat: “What can I say? It has been a year full of failures. That’s the only conclusion I can get. I was among the most enthusiastic guys of the year. All I can do now is offer an apology to our fans”

Embed from Getty Images

Interim manager Gonzales took charge after Robert Dante Siboldi’s departure. When asked about his future on the bench he said he was “An institutional manager” and that he would “Go back to the academy” and continue to work for the team.

What’s Next for L.A.?

LAFC has moved on to the semifinals and will face Club America this Saturday.

READ: Luis Quiñones Takes Tigres to CCL Semifinals

Facebook Comments Box
Pedro Dorantes 224 posts 0 comments

Comments are closed.