The Xolos shocked Cruz Azul with a 3-0 upset in the first leg of the quarterfinals

On By Littum

Credit: Jeremy Collins (XoloGuero)/EVT Sports

The Tijuana Xolos made a huge splash in the 2024 Apertura Liga MX with a 3-0 shutout of league leaders Cruz Azul.

However, it is the first game of the series, with the second leg still being played in Mexico City on Saturday 30 November.

Manager Juan Carlos Osorio made five changes to his starting XI, making five changes from the line-up that started against Atlas. The Colombian manager was very experimental in this game, even playing defenders Rafael Fernandez and Unai Bilbao as forwards at one point in the game.

Osorio’s team was full of energy from the first whistle and Raul Zuniga was one of the key players in this match. The Colombian striker scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute. Christian Rivera sent a long ball forward and Zuniga made a spectacular run to get in behind the Cruz Azul back line.

“La Pantera” finished the scoring opportunity with ease for the first goal of the match. Just moments later, in the 19th minute, Efrain Alvarez extended the lead with a very similar goal to Zunigas.

Aaron Mejia launched a punt forward and defender Gonzalo Piovi was unable to gain control of the sphere. Alvarez blasted past Piovi and was clinical in front of Kevin Mier’s net to give the Border City Dogs a 2-0 lead.

The game just went from bad to disastrous for the visitors when Jorge Sanchez received a red card in the 34th minute. The foul from the Mexican full-back was very irresponsible when he kicked Raul Zuniga while he was on the ground. Referee Fernando Hernandez did not hesitate and gave Sanchez a straight red card after the game.

Cruz Azul already struggled to generate much going forward and really struggled after going down to 10 men. Just moments after the sending off, Emanuel Reynoso was able to put the game to bed with a third goal for the Xoloitzcuintles.

The goal was the result of a phenomenal individual effort from the Argentine playmaker as he blasted past Cruz Azul’s team. Reynoso found himself in front of Kevin Mier and was never going to miss from such close range.

The first half was incredible from Club Tijuana and was completely unexpected by everyone heading into this series. The game slowed down in the second half, with Cruz Azul really trying not to concede more goals and Club Tijuana lowering their offensive intensity.

Juan Carlos Osorio opted to take off Emanuel Reynoso and bring on defender Fernando Monarrez at the start of the second half. Then in the 64th minute, Kevin Castaneda and Rafael Fernandez replaced Ivan Tona and Gilberto Mora. Aztec Canines had a lot of the sphere but did not generate enough offensive play.

In the 74th minute, Osorio made his final two substitutions as Joe Corona and Jaime Alvarez came on for Raul Zuniga and Christian Rivera. Xolos kept most of the possession but had nothing to show for it in the second half. This was a missed opportunity for the border town side as Cruz Azul still have some life heading into the second leg.

In the regular season, Club Tijuana fell 3–0 to Cruz Azul in Mexico City, and a repeat of this result would result in Tijuana being eliminated. However, this is still a fantastic result and the Aztec Canines have improved massively since the 3-0 defeat at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. A defeat of this disparity is still possible, but highly unlikely with the current momentum the border city team has.

“We met the best teams in the tournament, the most goals scored, the fewest goals conceded. They play with a constant 11, good players, well trained and trained, with a clear idea of ​​the game”, said Juan Carlos Osorio after the match. The Colombian manager also stated that they had only completed 40 training sessions when they first met Cruz Azul and now had 130 sessions under their belts.

Osorio expressed how the team could have scored a fourth goal, but that he was satisfied with the team’s performance. When asked if the 3-0 advantage was enough heading into the away game in Mexico City, he simply replied: “I don’t know.”

The second leg will be a very difficult task for Club Tijuana, and as Juan Carlos Osorio expressed, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough of an advantage against the best team in Liga MX.


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