The Tijuana

However, this is the first leg of the series, the second leg will take place on Saturday, November 30th in Mexico City.

Coach Juan Carlos Osorio made five changes to his starting lineup, making five changes from the lineup that started against Atlas. The Colombian coach was very experimental in this game and even used defenders Rafael Fernandez and Unai Bilbao as strikers at times.

Osorio’s team was full of energy from the first whistle and Raul Zuniga was one of the key players in this game. The Colombian striker scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute. Christian Rivera fired a long ball forward and Zuniga made a spectacular run to get behind the Cruz Azul backline.

“La Pantera” easily took advantage of the scoring opportunity to score their first goal of the game. Just a few moments later, in the 19th minute, Efrain Alvarez was able to extend the lead with a goal very similar to Zuniga.

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

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

Aaron Mejia launched a punt forward and defender Gonzalo Piovi couldn’t control the ball. Alvarez stormed past Piovi and was confident in front of Kevin Mier’s net to give the Border City Dogs a 2-0 lead.

The game went from bad to worse and disastrous for the visitors when Jorge Sanchez received a red card in the 34th minute. The Mexican full-back’s offense was very irresponsible as he kicked Raul Zuniga while he was on the ground. Referee Fernando Hernandez didn’t hesitate and gave Sanchez a red card after the game.

Cruz Azul were already struggling to generate much up front and struggled greatly after going down to 10 men. Just moments after the suspension, Emanuel Reynoso was able to end the game with a third goal for the Xoloitzcuintles.

The goal was the result of a phenomenal individual performance from the Argentine playmaker as he outpaced Cruz Azul’s side. Reynoso was in front of Kevin Mier and was never going to miss from such close range.

Club Tijuana’s first half was incredible and completely unexpected for anyone coming into this series. The game slowed down in the second half as Cruz Azul really tried not to concede any more goals and Club Tijuana reduced their attacking intensity.

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

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

At the start of the second half, Juan Carlos Osorio decided to take off Emanuel Reynoso and substitute defender Fernando Monarrez. Then, in the 64th minute, Kevin Castaneda and Rafael Fernandez swapped for Ivan Tona and Gilberto Mora. The Aztec Canines had most of the ball possession but did not generate enough offensive play.

In the 74th minute, Osorio made his final two substitutions as Joe Corona and Jaime Alvarez came on for Raul Zuniga and Christian Rivera. Xolos retained most of the possession but had nothing to show in the second half. This was a missed opportunity for the Border City team as Cruz Azul still has some life left before the second leg.

In the regular season, Club Tijuana lost 3-0 to Cruz Azul in Mexico City, and a repeat of that result would result in Tijuana’s elimination. However, this is still a fantastic result and the Aztec Canines have improved tremendously since the 3-0 defeat at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. A defeat of this disparity is still possible, but highly unlikely given the current dynamics of the Border City team.

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

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 28, 2024

“We played against the best teams in the tournament, scored the most goals and conceded fewer goals. They play with a consistent eleven, good players, well coached and coached, with a clear game idea,” said Juan Carlos Osorio after the game. The Colombian coach also explained that they had only completed 40 training sessions in the first game against Cruz Azul and now have 130 training sessions under their belt.

Osorio expressed that the team could have scored a fourth goal, but he was happy with the team’s performance. When asked whether the 3-0 lead before the away game in Mexico City was enough, he simply replied: “I don’t know.”

The second leg will be a very difficult task for Club Tijuana and as Juan Carlos Osorio put it, it is not known whether this will be a sufficient advantage over the best team in Liga MX.

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

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