Santiago Giménez, Cruz Azul footballer, celebrates his goal against Pachuca.José Méndez / EFE
One more episode called Cruz Azul.
The cement company team will once again play a Liga MX final, the eighth in short tournaments, to bury, once and for all, the curse of more than 23 years without being a champion.
The blue, with suffering as a stamp of patent, beat Pachuca 1-0 with a goal from Santiago Giménez, son of one of the club's idols.
Now a rival between Santos Laguna and Puebla awaits.
Cruz Azul has risen from the canvas once again.
The club, after losing an unlikely series last December to the Pumas, hit rock bottom.
The board questioned the approach of the then coach, Robert Siboldi, who preferred to resign.
The cement manufacturers were adrift.
They looked for the figure of Hugo Sánchez, the great Real Madrid striker, as their new coach, however, they did not reach an agreement.
The last option was a low-profile coach.
Peruvian Juan Reynoso agreed to take charge of Cruz Azul, a team in which he played and was champion in 1997, the last time the cement workers won the League.
More information
Cruz Azul: the town and the curse that were born from cement
The Pumas increase the curse of Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul took off with Reynoso, to the extent of becoming the solo leader of the regular tournament and with the best offensive and defensive marks in the tournament.
From the ashes and humiliation, the celestial ones raised their chests out of their own pride.
In the quarterfinals they defeated Toluca (4-3, on the aggregate scoreboard).
Pachuca made Mexican football blush in the first leg semifinal.
The club violated sanitary regulations with the capacity in the stadium.
The regulations called for a limit of 50% of the capacity of the venue, but the stands looked crowded, as if a pandemic had not occurred.
The State of Hidalgo imposed a fine of more than half a million pesos ($ 25,000).
On the court, both teams had drawn without goals.
In the return, the Cruz Azul entrusted himself to as much god and saint as he could. The cement manufacturers needed a goal to calm the anxiety that being in the prelude to a final, another one, meant. Those from Reynoso tried to break the goal. Before the end of the first half, Jonathan Rodríguez, the blue's top scorer, shot on goal and the ball ended up on the post.
A more comfortable Cruz Azul charged again. Their star midfielder, the Mexican Luis Romo, hung a cross into the area in search of a fortuitous play. There was the head of Santiago Giménez to score the goal. The annotation recalled the goals that his father, Christian
Chaco
Giménez,
celebrated
before his retirement three years ago with Cruz Azul. Chaco, however, did not make the cement manufacturers champions. The celestial ones withstood the warm attacks of Pachuca that tried to destabilize goalkeeper Jesús Corona, without success. The cement manufacturers withstood the pressure, external and internal, not to miss the 1-0 victory.
The other semifinal is practically defined.
Santos Laguna crushed Puebla 3-0, although Mexican soccer has become accustomed to great somersaults.
This Saturday, Cruz Azul celebrated twice with the 94th anniversary of its founding as a club.
The fans, faithful to the core, hope to leave behind the curse with overtones of obsession.
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