Cruz Azul held on to get a 0-0 draw against Chivas in the first leg of their Quarterfinal series. Chivas was the overly superior side in the 1st half but couldn’t convert and then Cruz Azul improved in the 2nd
half to even the match and get a very important result. The tie now means that Chivas must win the away leg in Mexico City as Cruz Azul would go thru to the Semifinals with a win or tie.
The 1st half started with Chivas coming out with their best starting 11 while Cruz Azul had Andres Gudiño taking the place at goalkeeper of injured Kevin Mier. Off a cross into the area, a wide open Bryan Alonso Gonzalez would get a close range chance but his left footed volley would go wide in a terrible miss. From outside the area, Efrain Alvarez got off a left footed shot that went wide. Off a counter, a cross into the area from Richard Ledezma would get past Gudiño but cleared by Erik Lira before the ball could get to Armando Gonzalez. After getting past a defender, Alonso Gonzalez got off a pass into the area where Gonzalez got to the ball but after making a move got off a left footed shot that was brilliantly saved by Gudiño. A left footed shot from outside the area from Jose Paradela was easily saved by Chivas’ goalkeeper, Raul Rangel. A cross into the area was headed wide by Gonzalez. From outside the area, Ledezma got off a right footed bomb that was well saved by Gudiño. Paradela got off a another left footed shot form outside the area that went just wide. The halftime whistle blew and although Chivas had been overly superior, they failed to convert and the match remained scoreless.
The 2nd half started with neither team making a change. A great cross into the area from Alvarez was headed wide by Daniel Aguirre. Chivas subbed out Armando Gonzalez for Santiago Sandoval in a surprising move. Cruz Azul subbed out Ignacio Rivero and Angel Sepulveda for Mateusz Bogusz and Gabriel Fernandez. The match had become very even and a lot less exciting than the 1st half, as Cruz Azul had stifled Chivas. Chivas subbed out Efrain Alvarez and Richard Ledezma for Javier Hernandez and Miguel Gomez. A cross into the area was just missed by Bogusz. An injured Bryan Alonso Gonzalez got subbed out for Alan Mozo. A great cross into the area from Carlos Rodriguez was headed from close range by Jeremy Marquez but right to Rangel in a play that should have been a goal. Cruz Azul subbed out Jose Paradela for Luka Romero. From just outside the area, Bogusz got off a right footed shot that forced Rangel to make a good save. A great cross into the area from Aguirre would find a wide open Gomez, who incredibly headed wide in a clear chance for Chivas. It was a bad miss for a chance that should have been the winner. The match would end and Cruz Azul got a great result for their return leg.
Chivas wasted a great opportunity on Thursday night to get a result to get them a ticket to the Semifinals. Chivas was the better team in the 1st half but wasted key opportunities. Then a strange substitution from Coach Gabriel Milito, had him take out Armando Gonzalez for Santiago Sandoval. If the move was strange for most fans, it didn’t pay off and they turned out to be right in their doubts. The move ended most of the danger Chivas was creating and Cruz Azul even the match to the point it ended the 2nd half as the slightly better team. Cruz Azul now is going home knowing a tie will get them thru to the Semifinals. Chivas will have to win in a stadium where Cruz Azul didn’t lose a single match in the season (their only loss at home was against Pumas in the Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla) and with Cruz Azul being able to handle them defensively in Guadalajara, they will be heavily favored to go thru.
