By Edgardo Avelar
He Blue Crosscurrent Liga MX champion, went from the sublime to the ridiculous and vice versa to prevent the first great tragedy in the premiere of his crown. The Celeste Machine snatched a spectacular victory from him 23 to the Atlético San Luis in a match where they went from forgiving a rout to coming back in the last breath.
The cement “harakiri” in the first half
The squad led by Joel Huiqui paid dearly for their lack of forcefulness in the first half, wasting at least three clear goal options. Two of them passed through the feet of Carlos Rodolfo Rotondi—the current hero of the celestials in obtaining the tenth star—, who even hit the crossbar with a shot.
The other big mistake came on behalf of the Nigerian reinforcement Christian Eberewho missed a goal in the small area by not correctly defining a comfortable ball. Cruz Azul forgave and let live some locals who would have no mercy in the complement.
Five minutes of Potosina nightmare
At the dawn of the second half, Atlético San Luis gave the champions a tremendous locker room knockout. Just at minute 46, the Frenchman Sébastien Salles-Lamonge He hit a volley to open the scoring. Just four minutes later, at 50′, the Spaniard Rafa Llorente He took advantage of a lack of communication in the cement defense to beat Kevin Mier with a cross shot and make it 2-0.
With water up to their necks, the ghosts of the past appeared at the Alfonso Lastras Stadium; the shadow of a new “blue cross” and the dent premature of the crown began to be felt in Potosí territory.
The bench to the rescue and the release of Jeremy Márquez
To avoid disaster, the coaching staff used its extensive squad and brought in Gabriel “Toro” Fernandez and Luka Romero. The shock was immediate. At minute 63, after a VAR review for a foul on Paradela, “Toro” Fernández impeccably executed a penalty to shorten distances and start the celestial rebellion.
The epic was consummated thanks to Angel Jeremy Marquez. The midfielder from Guadalajara dressed as an absolute hero: first in the 81st minute, scoring the tie after an assist from Romero, and later at 90+3′, pushing an agonizing ball to seal the final 2-3.
With this triumph of true champion, Cruz Azul He added his first three points of the competition and showed that the hierarchy of his squad is intact.
Continue reading:
– Emilio Azcárraga’s drastic decision that saved Cruz Azul’s agreement with the Azteca Stadium
– Why can’t Cruz Azul play at the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium?
– Cruz Azul breaks with the Azteca Stadium due to contract changes; asks to return to his old house
