Sebastián Jurado comes to the rescue again for Cruz Azul
He was the hero in the Clausura 2022 repechage, sand saved the day once again for Cruz Azul in their dramatic Leagues Cup victory over Atlanta.
Sebastián Jurado’s battle for first-choice ownership of the goalkeeper’s jersey at Cruz Azul has cost him a great deal of blood, sweat and tears. There have been errors of judgement - such as his childish sending off in the Week 2 clash with Toluca in the Apertura 2023 which left his team a man down with no chance of avoiding the second of three defeats that equalled the club’s worst start to any campaign since the short tournament format was introduced in Aztec soccer.
Fortunately, he has been able to balance out his mishaps with heroics. For example in the Clausura 2022 playoffs when he was the architect of the team’s victory over Necaxa by saving two of the three penalties that their opponents missed. The Veracruz-born goalkeeper came to the rescue again on Saturday, by playing a decisive part in the Leagues Cup victory over Atlanta United. He blocked Miguel Berry’s penalty in a tense shootout that Cruz Azul had to win to progress to the next phase of the tournament.
Just one year ago, Jurado’s position was questioned due to his erratic form in the Clausura 2022. Costly mistakes in the games against Puebla in Week 9 and Mazatlán in Week 13 drew endless criticism from fans and a debate as to who should defend the Cementeros’ goal - Jurado or Jesús Corona.
Sebastián endured the criticism, took it on board and made the most of every opportunity to prove the doubters wrong. He was the hero in the Clausura 2022 playoff tie against Necaxa, crucially detaining two spot-kicks in the shootout. He saved efforts from Fabricio Formiliano and Arturo Palma, while Agustín Olivares sent his penalty wide - that win set Cruz Azul up for a quarter final clash with Tigres.
Last night, history repeated itself for Jurado. He held his nerve in the penalty shootout, helping Cruz Azul to prevail 5-4 and with it, break a streak of five consecutive defeats, including two against Atlas (in the Clausura 2023 and on the first date of the Apertura 2023) as well as losses to Toluca, Tijuana in the domestic league and to Inter Miami in their Leagues Cup debut.
Sebastián Jurado’s performance will serve him to regain confidence in his fight to make the No.1 jersey his own. Cruz Azul advance to the Round of 32 in the Leagues Cup, where they will face MLS newcomers, Charlotte.