![]() ![]() It lost 2-1 at Toluca in the first leg of the quarterfinals, but Azul won six of eight road matches in the regular season.Ĭruz Azul was plus-15 in goal differential in the Clausura, while Santos scored just 18 goals (fourth-fewest in Liga MX) and was plus-4. It lost its first two games of the season before going on a 15-game unbeaten run. Cruz Azul showed against Pachuca it can grind with anyone, playing to a scoreless draw before a 1-0 win at home. Cruz Azul dominated during the regular season, tying for the league lead with 26 goals and allowing a league-low 11, and it hasn't let up in the Liguilla. La Maquina will be highly motivated to break a frustrating string of near-misses in the Liga MX playoffs. Injuries have allowed young players like 22-year-old Eduardo Aguirre to flourish, and he has broken out with five goals in the postseason. Santos has 10 players with multiple goals over the two seasons, led by Fernando Gorriaran (six goals, six assists). Goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo had 11 clean sheets in the 34 matches and saved 79.6 percent of the shots he faced. It yielded the third-fewest in the Clausura with 13. The home team has won each of the past four matchups, and Santos scored 29 and allowed just 12 in its 17 home matches over the two seasons. Diego Valdes scored his only goal of the season in that match before breaking his foot, but he has a goal and two assists in the playoffs. The teams split possession 50/50, and Azul outshot Santos 12-8 but Los Guerreros had a 4-2 edge in shots on target. The teams' tight match that day could be a preview of this series. They got a 1-0 home victory the last time the teams played, in the Torneo Clausura opener in January. Los Guerreros are strong at home, going 4-1-0 in their last five at Estadio Corona and 11-4-2 over the two regular-season tournaments.
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