Orlando, United States.- With a grey face and a very irregular match, Cruz Azul managed to rescue a draw against Orlando City and obtained their pass to the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup through penalties.
Goalkeeper Kevin Mier was the star player, stopping two penalties and Uriel Antuna scored the last shot to give La Máquina a 5-4 penalty win over the MLS team in the Round of 32.
For the first time in a long time, the team led by Martín Anselmi was unable to impose conditions on the field, did not know how to carry out its footballing idea and was often outplayed by Orlando, who missed several opportunities to leave a final score of 0-0.
In the first half, the American team had at least three clear opportunities in front of goal to take an important lead and even finish the match, however, the mistakes of its forwards and a good intervention by the goalkeeper of the cement team prevented it.
In addition to the lack of understanding by the Celestes, the poor condition of the field in Florida also caused a poorly played match by the Mexican club, which never managed to settle in and at times even struggled to string together passes.
The momentum did not change in the second half and in the final minutes Orlando had another chance in front of the goal, but once again the finish was not accurate and La Máquina was saved from elimination.
Still with a lot to correct and without demonstrating the good football that characterizes it, Cruz Azul advanced to the next round and will face Mazatlán, who defeated DC United 2-1, in their fight for their second Leagues Cup title.
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