Cruz Azul defeat Leon on penalties, advance to Copa MX final

Cruz Azul has had a spectacular 2018 Apertura season so far, currently second place in the Liga MX and now in the Copa MX final. Los Celestes hosted Leon at the Estadio Azteca this Wednesday, October 24, 2018, and were able to defeat Los Esmeraldas.

The visitors were handicapped very early in the match as team captain Mauro Boselli received a controversial red card. The Argentine striker appeared to have elbowed Cruz Azul defender Julio Cesar Dominguez, but it was unclear if Boselli really made contact with Dominguez on the play.

Ignacio Ambriz’s team was still able to provide a competitive effort even without Boselli as La Fiera scored the first goal of the match in the 51^st minute. Fullback Fernando Navarro made an impressive run on the right wing and was able to put the sphere past Guillermo Allison to give Leon a 1-0 lead.

Leon stayed dangerous after the goal, but Cruz Azul brought it back with a goal by Adrian Aldrete in the 71^st minute. Aldrete rifled the ball towards William Yarbrough’s net and a deflection by a Leon player led the ball into the back of the net to tie the clash.

The score remained 1-1 after regulation time and a missed penalty by Paraguayan striker Walter Gonzalez led to Cruz Azul’s 5-4 victory in the shootout. La Maquina will focus on the game against Club America this weekend, but are set to compete for the Copa MX title against Monterrey on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.