Cruz Azul needed it, it required an almost instant emotional boost and it achieved it through Francisco Silva. It was minute 4, when the Chilean took the ball and advanced a few meters, looked for the ideal teammate and still without finding him, raised his head and dared to hit the ball as it came. Seconds later, the Andean celebrated with Omar Mendoza the opening of the scoreboard; their fans celebrated it like few times. Against rivals like yesterday's, of Tigres' quality, they have to start stunning them with such punches, with goals against them, with so-called dressing room goals.

Tigres and Ricardo Ferretti's experience were in charge of working with La Máquina's high impetus, little by little they were diminishing the intentions of a blue squad focused on the attack. The first premise was to take the ball away from them, corner them, close the spaces and with that, cut off channels; thus, gradually, they took risks, overlapped their attack and focused on the front. It was not until minute 31, that André-Pierre Gignac managed to shoot weakly in front of Chuy Corona. It was the only feline attack by then. El Tuca strained his voice from his technical area, trying to correct.

Cruz Azul's history is worthy of any Dante-esque script... The last 15 minutes of the first half, Tigres devoted themselves to attacking, to do so vehemently; La Máquina retreated, giving the leading role to an enemy that should not be underestimated. Free kick for the northern team, Juninho lined up from outside the cement area and Angel Mena, like a goalkeeper, deflected the ball with his hands, so that it would not hit his face... Second yellow card, he is sent off and penalty. Once again, Jémez's team is on the edge of the abyss.

Being a Cruz Azul fan nowadays means living on the edge with every rival team's arrival, expecting the worst. Its background in decisive matches and even in non-decisive ones defines its reality as a team accustomed to disappointing their fans. In minute 48, Juninho, the mastermind behind the penalty, converted the free kick into a goal. From the penalty spot, the Brazilian captain sentenced the momentary draw on the Azul's pitch. La Máquina went to the locker room with the most frequent sensation of their journey: frustration.

In terms of numbers, beyond the collective feeling, Cruz Azul was not unfavorably impacted by the partial result at the start of the match. On the contrary, given the combinations, it served the Celestes to remain among the top eight positions in the general standings. To achieve it, the task was complex, it required reducing Tigres' capacity, one of the best offenses in the tournament, closing the spaces for the attack and nullifying Gignac and company. It didn't happen. It's a team that seems to have stopped being a team when it comes to defensive efforts.

It was minute 53, when Rafael Da Souza arrived near Jesús Corona's area, with time and the possibility of increasing the danger with a good pass. He did it. The Brazilian sent a cross, which the goalkeeper himself cut with difficulty, but that in turn served him to put Eduardo Vargas in position and somehow be able to shoot from where he was. Own goal, once again forcing the machinery, once again starting from scratch and trying to equalize the score. Cruz Azul was already more concerned about their defensive formation than about increasing the volume in the attack. Jémez modified his gears: Christian Giménez and Martín Rodríguez came in.

The path to the end of the match was the constant of the first half, Cruz Azul tried, suffered and did not score. Tigres deployed a vertical football, in which they attacked at will and with that, they played with the desperation of a rival consumed in crisis. Jémez's team left the field with their gaze on the ground, with the shame of knowing they had made mistakes and worse, with their qualification for the Liguilla compromised. With 21 points, La Máquina will hardly finish among the top eight in what remains of the season. The nuances of the crisis have returned to La Noria.