The groups are beginning to sort themselves out in the CONCACAF Champions League. The stage is halfway through, and while some teams were all but eliminated last matchday, it wasn’t until this week that a handful of teams grabbed a stranglehold of their groups. Things can still change with three matchdays left, but Cruz Azul and Tijuana are both sitting pretty in their groups, while Heredia has a bit of margin for error in Group 5 as they get ready for their road matches.
CONCACAF Champions League roundup: Cruz Azul, Tijuana and Heredia all win
Cruz Azul, Tijuana and Heredia are all in command of their groups after wins on Wednesday.
Steve Dykes
Valencia 1-2 Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul’s road to the top of Group 3 almost hit a bump in Haiti, where Valencia outplayed them for long stretches of the match. Valencia certainly had the better of chances too, but that wasn’t enough. Jeronimo Amione put Cruz Azul in front with a header into an open goal and while Andre Amy equalized, Jesus Lara found a 85th minute goal to earn the visitors three valuable points.
Heredia 1-0 San Jose Earthquakes
Heredia took care of business at home last week with a win over Montreal and they did it again this week, beating San Jose in Guatemala City. Enrique Miranda notched the winner with a 20-yard blast that skipped off the turf and past David Bingham. The match was short on chances, and action, but that is just fine for the Guatemalans, who are three points clear of the Impact atop Group 5. The question now is whether Heredia can get the job done away because their last two group stage matches are in Montreal and San Jose.
Tijuana 1-0 Luis Angel Firpo
Xolos have a six-point cushion atop Group 7 thanks to a win over Firpo, but it wasn’t easy. The Salvadoran side defended well and thanks to the heroics of Dennis Salinas, as well as some good fortune, they kept Tijuana scoreless for more then 80 minutes. But Fidel Martinez ruined that, getting on the end of corner kick and heading home the winner. Xolos just need to win one match, their final one against last place Victoria, and a spot in the quarterfinals is theirs.
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