Liga MX Clausura: Club América get last laugh beating Cruz Azul to yet another final

Las Águilas make it to a fourth striaght final with second leg win over city'rivals Cruz Azul.
America v Cruz Azul - Playoffs Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MX
America v Cruz Azul - Playoffs Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MX | Jam Media/GettyImages

Club América sealed a fourth straight Liga MX final by getting the better of Cruz Azul for a second consecutive league semi-final.

The first leg ended in favour of La Máquina, who took a one-nil lead into the reverse fixture through Ignacio Rivero, though the Uruguayan was sent off seven minutes later to be ruled out of the decider.

As the sides headed to the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (usually the home of Cruz Azul, but playing host to Club América), the stadium became a sea of yellow and blue to help Las Águilas mount another remarkable second-leg comeback. This comes after their 4-3 win against Cruz Azul in the Apertura semi-final, where a goalless first leg gave La Máquina the advantage due to their league-leading display in the regular season.

This time around, América finished higher in the Clausura table and knew that a win in the second leg of any kind would send them to the final.

Things didn't start too well for André Jardine's side, who were sunk to a two-goal deficit when Lorenzo Faravelli doubled the aggregate score for Cruz Azul with only 30 minutes left on the clock.

Facing the bottom of the barrel, América were handed a lifeline just after the hour mark when they were awarded a penalty, which Henry Martín managed to convert. With one goal the difference, América forced a second over the line with thirteen minutes left in the tie when Cristian Broja stabbed his effort beyond Kevin Mier.

A goal which crushed Cruz Azul, they may have ended the 2024-25 season with the most points of any team in the Liga MX, but back-to-back semi-final losses to Club América have defined their campaign. All that's left for Azul this season is their Concacaf Champions Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, 31st May.

André Jardine and his Águilas will face Toluca in the ultimate final, with one team destined to get their hands on the 2025 Liga MX Clausura title.

Will Toluca or Club América win this year's Clausura? Let us know!

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