When the Liga MX Apertura quarterfinal field was finalized earlier this month, fans of the competitive Mexican soccer league became extremely intrigued with multiple match-ups that held the potential to entertain throughout the opening two-legged set. One of the four quarterfinal contests that possessed a high level of interest was the series between Cruz Azul and Toluca. Both clubs were looking to provide themselves an early cushion coming out of last week's opening leg and now that the second and final contest will send one to the next round, an added level of intensity should be evident even though the opening leg was a walk in the park for one team.
After dropping three goals on their quarterfinal opponents, Toluca is in complete control of their playoff series with Cruz Azul. With the opening leg growing into a defensive struggle near the end of the first half, Oscar Rojas broke the scoreless tie in the 31st minute with a nicely crafted turn and shoot that really set the tone for the remainder of the game. After Cruz Azul let an own-goal pop through, The Red Devils were in charge, and didn't need anymore help thanks to a brilliant defensive effort. Style points were added however when Francisco Gamboa blasted one past Cruz keeper Jose Corona in the 79th minute, propelling Toluca to the 3-0 home victory.
Ready to end the quarterfinal bout at the Estadio Azul Saturday evening, Toluca hopes to spoil the home return of their opponent a bit more. After blitzing out to a strong advantage at home, the Red Devils will look to keep the pressure on Corona and company. Attacking the net in confident style while not allowing the offensive talent of Mariano Pavone, Joao Rojas and Christian Gimenez to slip behind them was key in the opener and the plan of attack will be the same this time around.
Providing themselves a 3-0 lead, Toluca may not have to worry too much since Cruz Azul has scored only 21 goals this season, the second worst among teams that qualified for the eight-club playoff field. Not able to catch fire offensively for most of the season, this deficit may prove to be too much for Cruz Azul to overcome, even if they're playing at home in front of a passionate fan base.
Cruz Azul vs. Toluca - Second Leg: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Saturday, November 30
TIME: 6:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: Univision
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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