The historic doors of the Estadio Azteca are officially closing to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Cruz Azul made sure the venue’s final domestic match was an absolute thriller. The Mexico City powerhouse fought back from behind twice to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Guadalajara in the first leg of the Clausura Liga MX semifinals.
Osinachi Christian Ebere buried a second-half penalty to save the night for Cruz Azul. The high-stakes draw leaves the series wide open as the fierce rivals prepare to shift the battlefield to the Estadio Jalisco for the decisive second leg. But Chivas walks away holding a massive strategic trump card.
Guadalajara struck first to silence the massive home crowd. Santiago Sandoval broke the deadlock at the 29-minute mark. Cruz Azul answered almost immediately. Carlos Rodríguez found the back of the net at 37 minutes to level the score heading into halftime. The back-and-forth chaos was heavily documented in a minute-by-minute progression of the intense final score.
Chivas surged ahead again right out of the locker room when Ángel Sepúlveda scored at the 50-minute mark. Cruz Azul refused to fold. Just six minutes later, Ebere stepped up to the spot and converted a massive penalty kick to lock the game at 2-2. The tension boiled over late in the second half. The referee handed out a flurry of yellow cards to Ricardo Marín, Omar Campos, and Richard Ledezma as both squads desperately chased a winner.
The result gives Guadalajara a massive safety net. Under Liga MX playoff rules, if the aggregate score remains tied after the second leg, Chivas will automatically advance to the final due to their superior placement in the regular-season standings, a brutal reality highlighting Guadalajara’s massive advancement advantage heading into the second leg. They survived the Azteca. Now they just need to survive ninety more minutes at home. This resilience comes just weeks after a rough stretch where we saw Tigres UANL crush Liga MX leaders Chivas 4-1 ahead of critical Seattle Sounders clash, proving Guadalajara has fixed their defensive leaks at the perfect time.
This draw adds another heavy chapter to a Liguilla rivalry defined by historic heartbreak. Fans still measure this matchup against the legendary 1986-1987 season final where Chivas captured their ninth league title. Closing the Estadio Azteca with this exact fixture brings a massive era of Mexican soccer to a close. The stadium now goes dark to prepare for the globe. The domestic war simply moves to Jalisco.