A sad night for Liga MX: What do América and Cruz Azul need to reach the Champions Cup semis?
In Tuesday’s opening quarterfinal first legs, Liga MX’s teams both failed to find the net - and Cruz Azul took a heavy beating.
This Tuesday night, in the first two quarterfinal matches of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Liga MX clubs endured an unhappy evening.
América frustrated, Cruz Azul thumped
First up was Club América, who were held to a scoreless draw by Nashville SC. Las Águilas failed to take advantage of the away-goal rule, leaving everything to be decided next week in the second leg, to be played at Mexico City’s iconic stadium.
Nashville SC enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, fired off more shots, and consistently posed the greater threat against goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota.
It’s worth remembering that if Nashville SC manages to score in Mexico City, América would be forced to win at the Estadio Azteca, a stadium now known for sponsorship reasons as Estadio Banorte.
Meanwhile, Cruz Azul is facing a monumental task in the return leg against Los Angeles FC, after being soundly beaten in California. Heung-min Son opened the scoring for LAFC, before David Martínez added a brace to complete a 3-0 first-leg win for the Black and Gold.
Like América, La Máquina was unable to find the net on U.S. soil, a detail that could prove decisive in next week’s match at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc.
What does América need to advance?
For André Jardine’s side, the mission is relatively straightforward: América simply needs to win by one goal, regardless of whether Nashville SC scores. A scoreless draw would send the series into extra time and, potentially, a penalty shootout.
What does Cruz Azul need to advance?
Cruz Azul must score three unanswered goals just to force extra time. If the Champions Cup holder wants to avoid extra time altogether, it will need to score four.
If Cruz Azul concedes even once, it would then be required to win by a four-goal margin (5-1, 6-2, and so on).
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