tijuana - cruz azul

 Leader's Curse? Xolos Crushes Cruz Azul on the Border and Leaves Them on the Ropes

Efrain Alvarez celebrates his goal against Cruz Azul (Mexsport)

Wednesday night was not Cruz Azul’s night—far from it. The team that showed up on the field wasn’t the same Máquina we’ve seen all season. They struggled, made costly mistakes, and even lost Jorge Sánchez to a red card, ultimately falling 3-0 to Tijuana. Xolos, on the other hand, were sharp and strategic, with goals from Zúñiga, Efraín Álvarez, and Reynoso securing a commanding lead in the first leg of the Quarterfinals. Cruz Azul, now left badly bruised, faces an uphill battle.

What happened to Cruz Azul? Was it a lack of rhythm? The break in activity? Overconfidence? Questions are swirling after this disappointing result. One thing is clear: they were disorganized and unfocused, and it cost them big. Juan Carlos Osorio outcoached his counterpart, walking away with a crucial win to take back to Mexico City. Xolos kept up relentless pressure and capitalized on Cruz Azul’s defensive blunders. Practically the entire backline was at fault, but Gonzalo Piovi’s poor marking led to two of the goals. The match took a further nosedive for Cruz Azul when Jorge Sánchez was sent off in the 34th minute, sealing their fate.

The first blow came from “La Pantera” Zúñiga. The Colombian striker latched onto a long pass from Christian Rivera, outpacing the center backs. He controlled the ball and sent it into the back of the net. Initially, the goal was flagged for offside, but after a VAR review, it stood, giving Tijuana the early lead.

Cruz Azul’s defensive struggles didn’t end there. Kevin Castañeda managed to chip the ball over Kevin Mier, but luckily for Cruz Azul, it went just wide. However, Efraín Álvarez made it 2-0 in the 19th minute. In another long-ball scenario, Piovi jumped to block Álvarez’s attempt but failed, and the forward calmly slotted it past Mier, who couldn’t close him down in time.

Offensively, Cruz Azul offered little. One of their few chances came when Faravelli took a shot from outside the box, but it missed the target. Instead of regrouping and fixing their mistakes, Cruz Azul only fell further behind. Emanuel Reynoso delivered the final blow before halftime, weaving past multiple defenders. He dribbled around Ditta and Lira, took advantage of Mier’s late approach, and fired towards goal. Piovi attempted a sliding block on the line but couldn’t stop it. By the 43rd minute, Cruz Azul was down 3-0.

Was Anselmi Trying to Limit the Damage?

The second half was more of the same. While Tijuana eased up slightly, they still controlled the game. Down a man from the first half, Cruz Azul could do little more than try to prevent further humiliation. Coach Anselmi brought on Sepúlveda, Montaño, Charly Rodríguez, and “Toro” Fernández to try and change the game, but their attacking chances didn’t improve.

Now, Cruz Azul returns to Mexico City with a heavy burden. They’ll need to turn things around at home if they want to keep their hopes of a Semifinal spot alive.