Cruz Azul qualified for the semifinals by defeating Tijuana 3-0. Cruz Azul got the three-goal win they needed to advance and now face current Liga MX champions Club America. Xolos had a good first half but missed clear chances that cost them dearly after they collapsed defensively in the second half. Cruz Azul were scheduled to play the first leg against America on Wednesday, although it will become official on Monday.

The first half began with Cruz Azul coming in this time with Giorgos Giakoumakis and Angel Sepulveda at the top, while Xolos also made changes with Carlos Gonzalez joining Raul Zuñiga at the top. As expected, Tijuana sat back and waited to counter and play on Cruz Azul’s desperation. A cross into the penalty area found a wide-open Ignacio Rivero, who took the free kick and missed a great chance. Rivero made a great shot with his left foot but Xolos goalkeeper Jose Rodriguez made a great save and fooled everyone into thinking the ball went in but due to his save it went wide of the goal. Cristian Rivera tried to run into the penalty area but was blocked by Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier. The ball was left there for Zuñiga, who shot the ball incredibly wide of the goal when he had a chance at the open net. Fernando Monarrez receives the ball in the penalty area, but his left-footed shot is parried by Mier. A cross into the penalty area was headed by Sepulveda, but straight to Rodriguez. Tijuana replaced Fernando Monerrez for Kevin Castañeda. Lorenzo Faravelli received the ball in the penalty area, but his right-footed shot was parried by Rodriguez. From well outside the penalty area, Rivero shot a long-range shot that Rodriguez parried with some difficulty. After the corner, the ball remained in the penalty area before Rivero’s left-footed shot from close range was cleared by a tackle. A left-footed shot from Rivero was blocked by Rodriguez and the ball fell to Faravelli, who sent his left-footed shot wide of the goal with a bad miss. A cross from Carlos Rotondi was deflected past Rodriguez and Ignacio Rivero got to the ball and headed it into the empty net to score and give Cruz Azul a 1-0 lead. The half-time whistle blew and although Cruz Azul still needed goals, they were one goal closer to a ticket to the semi-finals.

The second half began with Xolos subbing Nicolas Diaz, Carlos Gonzalez and Rafael Fernandez for Emanuel Reynoso, Efrain Alvarez and Ivan Tona. After winning the ball near the penalty area, Xolos found a wide open Alvarez, who got the ball but took too long to get a shot in and when he did it was blocked by Mier. During the corner kick, Reynoso had objects thrown at him as he prepared to cross and even fell to the ground. A cross into the penalty area was left there by Unai Bilbao and Sepulveda took the ball and passed it past Rodriguez to Giorgos Giakoumakis, who easily shot into the empty goal, giving Cruz Azul the 2-0 lead. The goal seemed to really hurt Xolos, who faltered on defense while Cruz Azul turned it all around on offense. After a counterattack, Xolos had a great 1v1 opportunity, but Alvarez went too far and his pass went to Reynoso, who should have been wide open, but he ran too slowly and ended up not reaching the ball and Mier cleared the ball. Cruz Azul replaced Giorgos Giakoumakis and Lorezno Faravelli for Gabriel Fernandez and Andres Montaño. Rivero got the ball in the penalty area, but his shot was blocked by Rodriguez. After a poor defensive attempt, Cruz Azul had a counterattack that ended with a pass to Angel Sepulveda, who fired a right-footed shot past Rodriguez, scoring a goal and giving Cruz Azul the 3-0 lead they needed to advance to the semifinals to reach. Cruz Azul replaced Angel Sepulveda for Erik Lira. A combination play ended with the pass to Fernandez, who failed to reach a ball that would have ended in a shot from close range. Cruz Azul replaced Alexis Gutierrez and Carlos Rodriguez with Jorge Garcia and Camilo Candido. In the final minutes, Tijuana pushed for the goal they needed while Cruz Azul sat back to counter. After receiving the ball in the penalty area, Montaño appeared to be brought down by Rodriguez, but nothing was decided. Although Xolos kept trying, they couldn’t get a shot and Cruz Azul secured the win and the ticket to the semi-finals.

Cruz Azul accomplished its mission of scoring the three-goal win and qualified for the semi-finals. Cruz Azul went on the offensive from the start and took a deserved win, although they showed some things that were worrying for them. Tijuana could have made it dangerous for them or even failed, but they had some very bad mistakes that cost them dearly. What was particularly strange was how the players lost their level after a very good performance on Wednesday. Cruz Azul will now have two editions of the Clasico Joven when they take on Club America, who eliminated Toluca earlier in the day. The current Liga MX champions looked much better in their series against Toluca than Cruz Azul did against Xolos, so even though they have the tiebreaker in hand, it could be a cause for concern for them should the series end in a draw. But for now, Cruz Azul and their fans should celebrate that they have made up for a clear disadvantage to secure their ticket to the next hurdle.