The Tijuana

However, it is the first leg of the series, with the second leg still being played in Mexico City on Saturday, November 30.

Manager Juan Carlos Osorio made five changes to his starting XI, making five changes from the line-up that started against Atlas. The Colombian manager was very experimental in this match, even using defenders Rafael Fernandez and Unai Bilbao as strikers at one point in the game.

Osorio’s team was full of energy from the first whistle and Raul Zuniga was one of the key players in this match. The Colombian attacker scored the first goal of the match in the tenth minute. Christian Rivera launched a long ball forward and Zuniga made a spectacular run to get behind the Cruz Azul back line.

“La Pantera” finished the scoring opportunity with ease for the first goal of the match. Just moments later, in the 19th minute, Efrain Alvarez was able to extend the lead with a goal very similar to Zuniga’s.

Goal Xolos. Raul “Pantera” Zuñiga scores in his third game in a row. His fourth in this process.@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/VuEKR4k6OI

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

Aaron Mejia launched a kick forward and defender Gonzalo Piovi failed to control the ball. Alvarez stormed past Piovi and was clinical in front of Kevin Mier’s net to give the Border City Dogs a 2-0 lead.

The match went from bad to disastrous for the visitors when Jorge Sanchez was shown a red card in the 34th minute. The Mexican fullback’s foul was highly irresponsible as he kicked Raul Zuniga while he was on the ground. Referee Fernando Hernandez did not hesitate and immediately gave Sánchez the red card after the match.

Cruz Azul was already struggling to generate much going forward and really struggled after going down to 10 men. Just a few moments after the suspension, Emanuel Reynoso was able to close the match with a third goal for the Xoloitzcuintles.

The goal was the result of a phenomenal individual effort from the Argentine playmaker as he stormed past Cruz Azul’s team. Reynoso was in front of Kevin Mier and would never miss from that close.

The first half was incredible from Club Tijuana and completely unexpected for everyone starting this series. The game slowed down in the second half, with Cruz Azul really trying not to concede any more goals and Club Tijuana lowering their attacking intensity.

END#Xolos 3-0 Cruz Azul@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/lRU85Wcfr5

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

Juan Carlos Osorio opted to take off Emanuel Reynoso and bring on defender Fernando Monarrez at the start of the second half. Then, in the 64th minute, Kevin Castaneda and Rafael Fernandez were replaced by Ivan Tona and Gilberto Mora. The Aztec Canines had a large share of possession, but did not generate enough attacking play.

In the 74th minute, Osorio made his last two substitutions when Joe Corona and Jaime Alvarez came on for Raul Zuniga and Christian Rivera. Xolos retained most of the ball possession, but had no effect in the second half. This was a missed opportunity for the Border City team as Cruz Azul still has some life heading into the second leg.

In the regular season, Club Tijuana lost 3-0 to Cruz Azul in Mexico City and a repeat of this result would lead to Tijuana being eliminated. However, this is still a fantastic result, and the Aztec Canines have improved immensely since that 3-0 defeat at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. A defeat of that disparity is still possible, but highly unlikely with the current momentum the Border City team has.

“I don’t know,” replied Juan Carlos Osorio when asked if the 3-0 lead was enough ahead of the second leg against Cruz Azul in Mexico City.@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/4LW86nTdk7

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

“We faced the best teams in the tournament, scored the most goals, conceded fewer goals. They play with a consistent team, good players, well coached and trained, with a clear game idea,” said Juan Carlos Osorio after the match. The Colombian manager also revealed that they had only completed 40 training sessions when they first faced Cruz Azul and had now completed 130 sessions.

Osorio mentioned that the team could have scored a fourth goal, but he was satisfied with the team’s performance. When asked if the 3-0 lead was enough for the away match in Mexico City, he simply replied: “I don’t know.”

The second leg will be a very tough task for Club Tijuana and as Juan Carlos Osorio said, it is unknown whether this will be enough of an advantage against the best team in Liga MX.

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a lifelong Padres fan and did most of the previews and recaps of the series in the 2016 Padres season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local football scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.

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