Cruz Azul Takes the Lead with a 3-2 Over León in Quarterfinals First Leg

Cruz Azul emerged victorious from the first leg of the quarterfinals against León at the Nou Camp, edging out a 3-2 win over the Esmeraldas. Andrés Montaño stole the spotlight for La Máquina with a brilliant double, accompanied by a goal from Ignacio Rivero. León faced a challenging match, playing the final 40 minutes with only ten men following Adonis Frías’s expulsion.

In the early minutes, León surprised Cruz Azul with aggressive pressing that hindered La Máquina’s ability to control the ball, leading to two critical errors by the cementeros. One notable mistake nearly cost them when Kevin Mier’s rebound off Sebastián Santos narrowly missed the celestial goal. However, León’s promising start unraveled within five minutes due to defensive lapses that Cruz Azul capitalized on. At the 14th minute, Ignacio Rivero scored after a poor clearance from Óscar Jiménez. Just five minutes later, Andrés Montaño carried the ball unchallenged from midfield to the edge of the area. His shot, deflected by Jaine Barreiro, made it 0-2.

Cruz Azul began to shake off León’s dominance, but a blunder by Kevin Mier, who botched an intervention on a through ball aimed for Andrés Guardado, brought León back into the match. With the keeper stranded, Guardado sent a cross, which Rodolfo Rotondi deflected. The ball then fell to Sebastián Santos, who made it 1-2. Not ten minutes later, Kevin Mier redeemed his earlier error, preventing what could have been the equalizer. A mistake by Jorge Sánchez left Stiven Mendoza one-on-one with Mier, but the seasoned goalie won the showdown.

Kevin Mier’s crucial save increased in significance when in the next play, Cruz Azul netted their third of the night. Carlos Rodríguez swung the ball wide to Andrés Montaño, who fired a powerful left-footed shot past Óscar Jiménez. At the onset of the second half, León closed the gap with their second goal. Stiven Mendoza’s pace on the left flank created an opening with a low cross to Iván Moreno, unmarked and ready to slot the ball home.

León’s hopes were quickly dashed three minutes later with Adonis Frías’s dismissal. In confusion over a high ball, Frías left Ángel Sepúlveda unmarked, only to foul him, initially earning a yellow card. However, following a VAR review, referee César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos upgraded it to a red card. Down to ten men, León adopted a defensive strategy, closing ranks and waiting for counterattacks via Stiven Mendoza and Edgar Guerra’s speed. They nearly succeeded at the 62nd minute when Andrés Guardado’s volley was saved by Kevin Mier.

Despite León steering the game to a more favorable pace, Cruz Azul failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage. They had chances to extend their lead but were held back by a lack of precision, ultimately preserving their 3-2 advantage going into the next leg.