By Edgardo Avelar
14 Jul 2024, 02:00 AM EDT
With two goals from the Argentine midfielder Carlos Rotondi, One more from the Uruguayan Ignacio Rivero and the last from Angel Sepulveda, Cruz Azul ran over the Rayados of Monterrey with a historic score of 0-4 in the BBVA Bancomer stadium, a place where the Monterrey team had not conceded four goals in the last 229 matches since its inauguration in 2015.
A score that demonstrates the superiority of a team like the Máquina Celeste, whose board decided to bet on the reinforcement of its squad. by signing Greek national team player Giorgios Giakoumakis, Mexican national team players Luis Romo, Jorge Sánchez and Andrés Montaño, to shore up a squad led by Argentine Martín Anselmi who was one step away from being crowned champion in the previous Clausura 2024 tournament and thus be able to fight for the title again in the current Apertura 2024 championship.
The game has started on the right foot, because with this rout that seemed easier than it seemed, Cruz Azul added the second victory of the championship and shares the lead. with the Xolos of Tijuana, who under the command of Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio, has also surprised even strangers.
But in tonight’s match, in the so-called “Steel Giant” as the home of Rayados is called in the Sultana del Norte, the Máquina Celeste put some distance between them in the game with two goals in the first half by Ignacio Rivero with a header and with a penalty goal by the Argentine Carlos Rotondi. and two more by Rotondi himself in a great move with a hat-trick over the Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada and the fourth and last by Ángel Sepúlveda, in a real golazo.
Under this scenario, it was impossible for Monterrey to react, especially because Cruz Azul knew how to neutralize the circuits between the Spaniard Sergio Canales and the forwards Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, the Argentines Jorge Rodriguez and German Berterame, With which they were at the mercy of the cement workers who gave them the first score with four goals against in the 58 games that the Argentine Fernando “Tano” Ortiz has directed the Monterrey team.
Cruz Azul even had the luxury of keeping Mexican international Uriel Antuna on the bench until the second half and not missing the full-back either. midfielder Rodrigo Huescas, who is facing a labor dispute with La Máquina over his emigration to Danish football.
Without a doubt, the cement workers cared very little about these factors and with a versatile style, they went after the Rayados to beat them in an ugly way, staying one step away from the 1-5 with which they beat them in the Estadio Tecnológico to Monterrey itself in the 2013 Clausura tournament. That is, 11 years ago.
So for now Cruz Azul seems to have the pace to become a champion, which is where they will try to get to with the way they have reinforced their squad. and the simple way to beat the team that in theory has the most expensive payroll in Mexican soccer.
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