Cruz Azul scored three goals in a 16-minute span to open up a 5-0 aggregate score lead and held on for a 5-1 victory over Santos Laguna in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. They will now move on to the CCL semifinals for the third straight year where they will face the winner of Monterrey and Toluca. Monterrey currently leads 1-0 as the quarterfinal moves to their home for Wednesday’s second leg.
Santos Laguna Vs. Cruz Azul, CONCACAF Champions League: Cruz Azul Advances
Despite the convincing victory, Cruz Azul did not look like the better team for long stretches of the second leg. Santos Laguna dominated possession and had most of the early chances, but Cruz Azul picked up a crucial early goal when Emanuel Villa scored on a counter-strike in the 37th minute. Cruz Azul then opened the second half with a pair of goals at 51’ and 53’, both of which Villa had a hand in. Villa had the assist on the second goal, setting up Christian Giménez, and followed that up with his ninth goal of the tournament two minutes later. As it turned out, three of Cruz Azul’s on-target shots went for goals.
One bad piece of news for Cruz Azul came in the 57th minute when Giménez picked up his second yellow card. Giménez has been one of Cruz Azul’s leading scorers over the past year and they will be without his services for the first leg of the semifinal.
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