Cruz Azul's Last Visit to the Azteca Stadium

In their dramatic style, Cruz Azul arrived at the Estadio Azteca for their last visit, before it becomes their future home.

They needed to earn three points against America, a rival that has not only been their executioner throughout history, but also is in a better position in the standings and had the urgency to climb back to the top of the table.

If there's one thing Cruz Azul has taught us in 20 years, it is to not celebrate victory prematurely. Although La Máquina started off strong with a goal from Édgar Méndez, the ghosts of their past with America continue to haunt them. In the blink of an eye, Las Aguilas turned the match around and won 2-1 with goals from Mateus Uribe and Cecilio Domínguez.

With this result, America not only increased its dominance over Cruz Azul but also, as always, crushed their hopes of achieving something great, in this case, a spot in the playoffs. The blue hope is over.

Mateus and Cecilio Dim the Celebrations

To break a nine-match winless streak against America, to show that their on-field performance has improved, considering what Las Águilas mean in their history, their hopes of reaching the playoffs, and because a victory at the Azteca would mean a lot as their future home - motivation was at its peak. Although America started to create chances, they didn't intimidate enough. Cruz Azul remained calm, knowing it was too early to panic, and slowly built their plays.

In the 6th minute, La Máquina took advantage of an error by America's defense. Mena recovered a ball on the left side, Edson Álvarez failed to intercept it, and the Ecuadorian came out unscathed and passed it to Cauteruccio. With the defense pressuring him, the Uruguayan decided to pass it to Méndez, who with a right-footed shot beat Marchesín for the 0-1.

America responded with a cross from Oribe Peralta that Mateus Uribe couldn't direct towards goal. Las Águilas were somewhat disoriented by the early goal and because Cruz Azul had studied them well; they knew that long passes would allow them to find the depth to reach the goal.

Six minutes after the goal, La Máquina came close to scoring the second. Méndez crossed the ball for Cauteruccio, who headed it just inches wide of the goal.

The Águilas tried to extinguish their rival with a cross from Cecilio Domínguez that Oribe couldn't convert and another shot from Cepillo inside the box that went wide.

The opportunity came in the 24th minute. Mateus Uribe supported his words from Friday when he said they were "clear favorites" and sent a pass to Renato Ibarra, whose shot was blocked by Cata Domínguez. Uribe never left the area and, seeing the rebound, he didn't hesitate to blast an unstoppable shot past Corona.

America is a rival that demands a lot from Cruz Azul. The equalizing goal hit the cementeros like a cold shower, and they became more concerned about not falling behind further than about pressuring and attacking. In the 37th minute, Caixinha's team suffered the consequences.

In a throw-in executed by Paul Aguilar, the ball was touched by Oribe, Mateus, Henry Martín, who passed it back to Peralta, and the striker finally found Domínguez on the left side. With good positioning and Jerry Flores out of position to protect the center, Domínguez beat Chuy for the 2-1. America had turned the match around.

Hopes Vanish

Caixinha needed to make urgent changes to the lineup. The confidence he had given to Gullit was backfiring, as after the equalizer, his team stopped creating chances and Peña had only touched the ball five times, none of which were impactful.

Without hesitation, at the start of the second half, the Portuguese coach substituted Gullit and gave Martín Rodríguez a chance on the left flank, while Mena was positioned as an attacking midfielder.

Cruz Azul started to press again. Caixinha's prediction that "Caute would score the winning goal" had yet to show any signs. In the 48th minute, there was a great opportunity for the Uruguayan to start fulfilling what his coach had said.

Caute took advantage of a poor backpass from Aguilera to Marchesín, but the striker lacked cunning and the America goalkeeper prevented him from equalizing.

La Máquina did not stop trying. In the 55th minute, another chance came from a set piece. Jerry Flores sent the ball to Édgar Méndez, whose shot was deflected by Edson Álvarez.

The opportunities were there, raining down on Cruz Azul, but they couldn't convert. It was clear that there was more movement and intent from the celestes. In the 60th minute, Martin Rodríguez dribbled the ball and hit the crossbar with a shot, then Guido Rodríguez responded with a header. The back-and-forth battle was intense.

The excitement died down for a bit. In the 70th minute, Renato Ibarra reignited the game with a one-on-one against Rafael Baca, but his shot failed to find the back of the net, leaving Cruz Azul relieved.

The clock continued ticking, and Cruz Azul needed to score two more goals. Cauteruccio tried his luck in the 79th minute with a left-footed shot that Marchesín saved. America had one more chance to deepen the wound, but Chuy cleared the ball off the line.

Caixinha's gamble on Cauteruccio didn't pay off. The Uruguayan, despite his efforts, didn't score, wasn't decisive, and didn't give them the winning goal. With this result, Cruz Azul's mathematical aspirations of reaching the playoffs come to an end.

The perfect ending was mandatory, but the lack of effectiveness and the ghosts of the past prevailed over La Máquina.