CONCACAF Champions League, Semifinals: Monterrey Defeat Cruz Azul On Late Humberto Suazo Penalty

The tie was going almost exactly as Cruz Azul had hoped. They got the away goal and only lost by one goal at Monterrey then returned home for the second leg and went ahead 1-0. All they had to do was finish off the match with that scoreline and they would be through to the CONCACAF Champions League final. In the 79th minute, everything fell apart though as a red card and penalty put Monterrey in the driver’s seat.

Down a man and needing a goal just to force extra time, Cruz Azul are nearly done. Meanwhile, it looks as if Monterrey has done the job they needed to do in going away and getting a draw. If they hold on, the final is theirs.

With only 45 minutes left in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal tie between Cruz Azul and Monterrey it is the Blue Machine who are in a good position. Cruz Azul went to Monterrey in the first leg and while they lost 2-1, they got the crucial away goal. Add in a first half goal in tonight’s second leg and Cruz Azul is just 45 minutes from the tournament final. The tie is even at 2-2 on aggregate, but Cruz Azul’s away goal would put them through if this score holds.

When Cruz Azul scored in the opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal at Monterrey, it was a massive goal for the team because it got them an all-important away goal. Well, the Blue Machine may have put that away goal to work with their opening tally in the second leg of the tie. Now the aggregate of the tie is level at 2-2, but Cruz Azul’s goal in the first leg gives them the away goal that Monterrey does not have so if this scoreline holds Azul will be through to the final.

Azul had been knocking the ball around, but their break through came with a quick move, not a patient breakdown. A long ball over the top put a man in on goal and a shot from the left to the far post forced a good save from Monterrey keeper Jonathan Orozco. The rebound came right to Cesar Villaluz though and he was able to put the ball past a sprawling Orozco.

By Eben Lehman/FMF State of Mind

The second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal between Cruz Azul and Monterrey moves to Estadio Azul on Wednesday night, a place where Cruz Azul are undefeated on the year. Monterrey won the first semifinal leg 2-1 at home, and judging by the recent league form of both teams this promises to be a worthy sequel.

The score also seemed to wake up the crowd, which had begun to quiet down after their team went scoreless in the first half. Since the goal, the 30,000-plus fans have been in full chorus and the RSL players do seem to feeling a bit of pressure as they’ve so far been on their heels during the second half.

Prior to the goal, Saprissa had the better of the play and had created more scoring chances, but RSL had actually ended up with the two best chances. The next goal will be especially important. A goal from RSL would essentially give RSL a three-goal lead, as they would have the away-goal tiebreaker.

If you would have told Real Salt Lake before the match that they could have a 0-0 scoreline at halftime they would have taken it in a heartbeat. Well, they have it. The MLS side came into the match with a 2-0 aggregate lead after their home leg and playing Costa Rican side Saprissa at the intimidating Saprissa Stadium, 0-0 is a fantastic scoreline for Salt Lake. This is the fourth year of the CONCACAF Champions League and the winner of this semifinal will become the first non-Mexican side to make the final. Now Salt Lake is just 45 minutes away from becoming that team.

It would be unfair to say that Salt Lake came into the match playing for the 0-0 draw. They didn’t go with an ultra-defensive lineup, instead playing their regular starting XI. They also took a few chances to go forward in the first half, but make no mistake, this was a team clearly thinking safety first. Even so, the visitors had the two best chances of the first half, first when Kyle Beckerman got free 10 yards from goal only to be denied by a fantastic save. Later on, it looked like Salt Lake were going to get a goal on a set piece, but once again a great save kept the scoreline even.

The lineups are in for tonight’s second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals and if anything is clear it is that Real Salt Lake aren’t going to bunker in to protect their 2-0 lead. The visitors are going to Saprissa Stadium with their normal lineup and will attempt to play as they always do, at least to begin the match. Whether that’s still the case later on remains to be seen, but they’ll give it a go for at least a little while.

Meanwhile, Saprissa is going with a radically different defense than they went with in the first leg. Their captain, Victor Cordero, is back in the starting XI and two men who came on as substitues in the first leg, Oscar Duarte and Luis Diego Cordero, will start. That means that the home side are going with three new defenders so Salt Lake will definitely be facing a different opposition than the one they put two past at home. The lone defensive starter who started the first leg and is starting tonight is Roberto Wong, but not even two Wongs would make a right back

Now the series moves back to Saprissa Stadium, where the Purple Dragon has won 73 percent of its international competitions since 2004. They’ve also looked strong at home recently, having gone unbeaten in their past five and outscoring their opponents 7-0 over that stretch. Overall, their only loss since Feb. 13 was that match against RSL, as Saprissa has won nine of 12 matches and outscored their opponents 21-8 during that stretch.

The stadium is notorious for its, shall we say, subpar facilities. The turf is considered to be particularly tough, the stands are concrete and the locker rooms are spartan, especially by U.S. standards.