By Jorge Hernandez
Nov 10, 2024, 16:43 PM EST
The Argentinian Martin Anselmi, leader coach Blue Cross of Mexican soccer, highlighted this Saturday the character of his team to overcome injustice to end up making history in the MX League.
“Competitiveness dominates me, it is what mobilizes me beyond the result. My team showed that it knows how to fight until the last and knows how to overcome a game that we lost unfairly. and in the end we tied fairly,” said the coach after tie 1-1 with Tigres UANL on date 17 of Apertura 2024, the last of the regular phase of the tournament.
Cruz Azul dominated the match. He generated abundant scoring opportunities, but his gunners did not have the necessary aim to open the scoring. In the second half, Tigres scored with a penalty taken by Argentine Nicolás Ibáñez. The local team equalized in the last breath of the game with a goal from Ángel Sepúlveda.
with the tie Cruz Azul finished the Apertura 2024 as the leader with 42 points, qualified directly to the quarterfinals. It was the teamor with more triumphs, 13; fewer defeats, one; most goals scored, 39; and less against, 12.
Besides, set a record in the 17-day modality, surpassing the 41 of Cruz Azul itself in the Clausura 2021 tournament and León in the Clausura 2019.
It was not enough for them to surpass América’s 43 points, which is the mark to beat in short tournaments, although at that time one more game was played, since there were 18 rounds.
Martín Anselmi stressed that with these numbers they exceeded the goal they set at the beginning of the competition of surpassing what they achieved in Clausura 2024, in which they finished in second place with 33 points.
“We set out to be better and we achieved it. We wanted to improve ourselves, we did it in numbers and in the game. The goal is better than ourselves,” he explained.
Now the objective will be to obtain the title, lAfter the previous semester La Maquina lost the final against América.
“In the final phase, what you did up to this point no longer counts, they are kill or be killed matches, it is a new tournament. Cruz Azul is prepared for it, the final phase will be this way or harder,” he said.
Regarding the label they have as a favorite to obtain the championship, Anselmi said that he prefers that his performances respond to that forecast.
“We will have to go through a lot of situations in each series. We can lose everything with a bad performance. We talk on the field,” he concluded.
La Maquina’s participation in the final phase of the tournament will begin once the next FIFA date concludes and the local league playoff from which its rival will emerge.
*With information from EFE.
Keep reading:
–The Celeste Machine with an agonizing goal avoids ‘cruzazuleada’ and breaks the points record
-Cruz Azul will be able to try to break the points record at home
-Cuauhtémoc Blanco transmits a message to Cruz Azul: “They always get screwed in Liguilla…”
-Cruz Azul is not afraid of the points record in Liga MX: What is the brand?