Giménez scored another crucial goal and he was now 180 minutes away from achieving what his father worked so hard to do in eight-year stint at the club. Pachuca had just dumped América out of the competition and their morale was soaring after drawing with the Machine at home in the first leg of the semi-finals. Toluca and Pachuca were the opponents they faced in the playoff rounds.Īn injury to their forward, Bryan Angulo, during the second leg of the quarter final tie against Toluca saw Giménez step in to fill the void, and his last minute goal was the decisive one that advanced Cruz Azul to the next round. Seven of their titles came between 19, known as the club’s golden age. Pumas went on to lose the final against Club León, the same team Cruz Azul defeated in 1997 to win their last championship.īefore 1997, the cement mixers endured another league title drought that lasted 17 years. So I think there are many things to investigate,” said ESPN Deportes commentator Héctor Huerta. “They had built a team to be champions but something happened against Pumas. Rumors of Cruz Azul losing the match on purpose or players being paid to forfeit the game surfaced soon after the resignation. Siboldi resigned following his team’s dramatic elimination from the tournament. Pumas were determined to do the impossible, and they beat the Machine by the same scoreline.Īlthough they were tied on aggregate, Pumas went through to the final due to them finishing higher in the regular season standings. Little did they know that they would be on the receiving end of another humiliating comeback.įans and commentators thought that there was no point in watching the second match given Cruz Azul’s dominance in the Azteca. They overcame a star studded Tigres side in the quarter-finals and that momentum propelled them to 4 - 0 win against Pumas in the first leg of the semi-finals. Siboldi was still at the helm for the Guardianes 2020 tournament, and was looking to continue the form his team had from the previous season. Fans were beginning to believe that this would be the tournament that delivered the ninth star on the club badge. Once again, it was setting up to be another instance where Cruz Azul threw away a lead at the end of a game.Īudiences were left surprised after veteran goalkeeper José de Jesús Corona saved the penalty and his team sealed their win. Six minutes of added time were given by the referee and in the last seconds, América was awarded a penalty. They faced Club América on March 15, and were leading midway through the second half thanks to a goal from Uruguayan striker Jonathan Rodríguez. He had a great start to the tournament by getting the best out of new signing Luis Romo and he promoted youth like Santiago Giménez, the son of El Chaco.Īfter 10 fixtures, they sat top of the league and in their last game it seemed as if the curse of Cruz Azul’s league title drought was starting to dissipate. That took the final to a penalty shootout that the Machine eventually lost.Īhead of the Clausura 2020, former Cruz Azul goalkeeper Robert Dante Siboldi was brought in to try and steer the side to glory. In the last five minutes of the match the Eagles came back and scored two goals. Victory also seemed on the horizon in the initial 20 minutes with América having a player sent off and Cruz Azul increasing their lead to 2 - 0 on aggregate. A header from legendary club midfielder Christian “El Chaco” Giménez gave them a one goal advantage going into the grand final. The Machine did enough to defeat derby rivals Club América, another one of Mexico’s “big four sides,” in Estadio Azul, which was their old home field. No final was more painful than the 2013 Clausura second leg in the Azteca. “Cruzazulear” or “I Cruz Azuled it” is the term given to these moments and it has made the club’s name become synonymous with failure. Losing in dying minutes of a playoff game or giving up a comfortable lead is what this team is famous for, and opposition fans make sure to remind them of this. This is where the side’s nicknames of “The Machine” and “the cement mixers” comes from. The team is also owned by Cemento Cruz Azul, one of Latin America’s largest cement producing companies. It also seems as if only the league title has been escaping their grasp, since they have won two domestic cups and two renditions of the CONCACAF Champions League.įinances and lack of quality players can also not be blamed for their league title drought.Īccording to Transfermarkt Cruz Azul’s current squad is valued at $70.62 million, which makes them the third-most expensive team in Mexico’s top flight. One of Mexico’s “Big 4” sides, has not won a league title in nearly 23 and a half years, but have reached six finals in that time.
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