Cruz Azul made a powerful statement in their Liguilla campaign, securing a 3-2 away win over León in the first leg of the quarterfinals. With this victory, they became the only team to win on the road during the first-leg matches, positioning themselves as strong favorites to reach the semifinals.
The match started with both sides fielding key players — James Rodríguez led León, while Willer Ditta was a central figure for Cruz Azul. Early on, Cruz Azul's goalkeeper Kevin Mier had a nervous moment when his clearance ricocheted off a León attacker, but the ball safely returned to his hands.
Soon after, Cruz Azul capitalized on León's defensive lapse. A long ball into the box found Ángel Sepúlveda, who assisted Ignacio Rivero. After an initial block, Rivero scored on the rebound to give Cruz Azul a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Andrés Montaño doubled the score with a left-footed strike following a swift counterattack, making it 2-0.
León responded with grit. Andrés Guardado created a chance that eventually led to Sebastián Santos scoring, reducing the deficit to 2-1. Despite León's efforts, Mier came up with key saves to deny Stiven Mendoza twice.
Before halftime, Montaño struck again with a beautiful shot from the edge of the area, restoring Cruz Azul’s two-goal lead at 3-1. Although León managed a late goal to make it 3-2, Cruz Azul left the pitch with a significant advantage.
With the second leg looming, León now needs a two-goal win to advance, while Cruz Azul looks poised to seal their spot in the semifinals.
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