After winning their respective groups with unbeaten records, Sporting KC and Cruz Azul will collide in the quarterfinals of the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League on March 12 and March 19. Ahead of the home-and-away match-up, SportingKC.com will provide regular updates on La Máquina as part of the site's CCL Crash Course series. Want to know more about the tournament? Check out our 2013-14 CCL Guide.
Luis Fernando Tena’s dream start to 2014 has come to an end. After nine straight games unbeaten to start the Liga Bancomer MX Clausura, Cruz Azul finally lost, falling 3-0 to Tigres UANL Saturday night at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico.
Cruz Azul entered Saturday’s match with only three goals against. Tigres entered the game with only three goals scored. Yet the home side wasted little time penetrating the stout Cruz Azul backline, drawing a penalty kick in the 7th minute.
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After Xavier Baez’s poor clearance sailed back toward the Cruz Azul goal, defender Manuel Quezada – who started his first match of the season – pulled down Tigres forward Alan Pulido at the six-yard box. Tigres defender Juninho stepped up to the penalty spot and hammered his kick past a diving Jesus Corona.
Despite a six-point lead in the Clausura and a CONCACAF Champions League road game against Sporting KC four days later, Tena started 10 of 11 players who started last week’s 1-0 win over Toluca. In addition, eight of 11 starters from Saturday night have started at least eight games this season.
The 41,462 fans in attendance roared in approval as Tigres doubled their lead in the 28th minute. Pulido, who scored a hat trick in Mexico’s 3-0 win over Korea Republic on January 29, was in the thick of the action again. The 23-year-old striker waited patiently at the top of the penalty box and darted between a pair of Cruz Azul defenders to head home a Carlos Salcido cross.
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Salcido nearly scored one of his own on his national team goalkeeper, as his curling right-footed shot in the 33rd minute looked destined for the upper left-hand corner of the net. Corona managed to get a hand to the shot and Hernan Burbano’s rebound attempt skipped untouched across the penalty box.
La Máquina tied a season low with only three shots on goal. Two of those opportunities came late in the game after Salcido picked up a red card for a studs- up challenge on Fausto Pinto in the 64th minute.
Tigres scored their third goal in the 80th minute against the run of play as Pulido snuck behind the Cruz Azul back line on a restart. Pulido dribbled around Julio Dominguez Juarez on the end line and found Damian Alvarez at the penalty spot. Alvarez took a touch and squared the ball to Jose Torres who hammered a left-footed strike past Corona. The American midfielder, who featured for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, has scored three goals for Tigres in all competitions in 2014.
Cruz Azul will now head to Kansas City for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal series on Wednesday (Buy tickets). They will then play Club Tijuana at home over the weekend before hosting Sporting KC in the second leg of the series on March 19 at Estadio Azul.
