In a thrilling encounter this Saturday for the first round of the Clausura, León took home the full three points by defeating Cruz Azul 2-1. The home side, known as La Fiera, dominated the match early on, establishing a comfortable 2-0 lead with goals from Ismael Díaz and Bryan Colula at the 46th minute of the first half and the 4th minute of the second half, respectively.
Cruz Azul fought valiantly to turn the tide but could only muster a single goal from Agustín Palavecino in the 44th minute of the first half after a well-executed play.
Colula was a standout performer, receiving applause for his excellent finish just after the break, heading the ball into the left corner of Andrés Gudiño Portillo’s net after a precise pass from Salvador Reyes.
Despite their efforts, Cruz Azul struggled with their accuracy, tallying 18 shots with 10 on target but failing to find the back of the net more than once. León’s goalkeeper, Óscar García, was impressive, thwarting 8 attempts from the opposing side.
Another player who shone on the pitch was Ismael Díaz, contributing significantly with a goal and three shots.
León’s coach, Ignacio Ambriz, set his team up in a 4-4-2 formation, featuring Óscar García in goal; a defensive line of Bryan Colula, Stiven Barreiro, Sebastián Vegas, and Salvador Reyes; a midfield comprising Fernando Beltrán, Iván Rodríguez, Rodrigo Echeverría, and Iván Moreno; with Ismael Díaz and Rogelio Funes Mori leading the attack.
Cruz Azul, managed by Nicolás Larcamón, deployed a more defensive 5-4-1 setup with Andrés Gudiño in goal; defenders Jorge Sánchez, Willer Ditta, Gonzalo Piovi, Erik Lira, and Rodolfo Rotondi; midfielders Carlos Rodríguez, Jeremy Márquez, José Paradela, and Luka Romero; and Gabriel Fernández up front.
Víctor Cáceres Hernández oversaw the match, ensuring fair play throughout.
In their upcoming fixtures, León will visit Pachuca, while Cruz Azul will host Atlas. Following this match, León stands in third place in the championship with 3 points, whereas Cruz Azul sits in fifteenth place without any points.
Substitutions for León
61’ 2T – Iván Moreno off for Juan Domínguez and Rogelio Funes Mori off for Diber Cambindo.
77’ 2T – Ismael Díaz off for Valentín Gauthier.
78’ 2T – Bryan Colula off for José Ramírez.
86’ 2T – Fernando Beltrán off for José Alvarado.
Yellow Cards for León
14’ 2T: Salvador Reyes, 51’ 2T: Iván Rodríguez, 52’ 2T: Rodrigo Echeverría.
Substitutions for Cruz Azul
51’ 2T – Luka Romero off for Agustín Palavecino.
64’ 2T – José Paradela off for Mateo Levy and Jeremy Márquez off for Jorge Rodarte.
76’ 2T – Carlos Rodríguez off for Amaury Morales.
Yellow Cards for Cruz Azul
47’ 2T: Willer Ditta.