Concacaf Champions Cup: Cruz Azul book place in the final | OneFootball

Cruz Azul and Tigres met in the semi-final of the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the winners booking their place in the grand final on Saturday 1st June 2025.

The first leg ended 1-1 as Rodolfo Rotondi handed La Máquina a second-half lead before Juan Purata balanced the books heading into the reverse fixture in the capital.

Meeting at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario, Tigres seemed to have opened the scoring within a matter of seconds as Nicolás Ibañez headed into an empty net, but the goal was chalked off due to an offside during the build-up.

It was an early wake-up call for the hosts as Cruz Azul began to assert themselves, though they failed to capitalise on key chances. Ángel Sepúlveda burst through on goal following a Tigres mistake near the halfway line, only to fire directly at Nahuel Guzmán. Moments later, Jorge Sánchez delivered a pinpoint cross to an unmarked Ignacio Rivero inside the box, but Rivero's shot sailed high over the bar.

It remains a mystery how Azul failed to take the lead before halftime, especially when some quick passing led to Mateusz Bogusz being in a shooting position but was denied by a perfect sliding tackle from Jesús Angulo to keep the sides level at the break.

The second half was more of the same from La Máquina who continued to control the game. Stretching the Tigres defence on the hour mark, a quick-paced move opened up the visitors as Rotondi found Sepúlveda in the box, but the competition's top goalscorer couldn't find the back of the net.

It seemed as if all their chances were to be in vain with the game heading to its conclusion until the home side were handed a lifeline. Continuing to apply the pressure, Charly Rodríguez's effort struck the hand of Marcelo Flores, and a lengthy VAR check led to a Cruz Azul penalty.

Sepúlveda, who had squandered several chances earlier in the match, stepped up and made no mistake this time, slotting a composed penalty straight down the middle to beat Guzmán.

Tigres upped their game from that moment and instantly came knocking. Before the minute 90, they had the ball in the back of the net for the second time in the game when Juan Brunetta opened up the Azul backline to find Ibañez before sliding it across to Jonathan Herrera to tap into an open net, but once again the offside flag came to La Máquina's rescue.

As the final whistle sounded, Cruz Azul were confirmed as finalists for this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, setting up a clash with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Canadian side already has a proven record against Liga MX opposition this season, eliminating both Monterrey and Pumas. However, with 19 of the last 20 tournament winners hailing from Mexico, could that historical dominance tip the scales in La Máquina’s favour as they chase a seventh Champions Cup crown?