MEXICO CITY, Apr 13 (Reuters) – Mexico’s Cruz Azul qualified for the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League on Tuesday after beating rookie Arcahaie of Haiti 8-0 in the final round of 16 series. final.
The Argentine Walter Montoya on two occasions, Josué Reyes, Elías Hernández, Alexis Gutiérrez, the Peruvian Yoshimar Yotún, the Ecuadorian Bryan Angulo and the Paraguayan Juan Escobar scored the winning goals.
In the match played at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, the local team took the lead after three minutes when Gutiérrez took advantage of an error by goalkeeper Camy Marcelin, who released the ball in a cross sent from the right sector by the Uruguayan José Rivero, to define without a mark within the small area.
Cruz Azul scored the second in the 11th minute with a header from Yotún after a center sent from the right wing by Elías Hernández, who scored the third in the 25th with a colorful volley shot inside the area after a long cross from Adrián Aldrete .
The fourth goal came in the 49th minute through Montoya, who defined without a mark inside the area after receiving a pass from Santiago Giménez, who took advantage of a goalkeeper error to steal the ball.
Reyes scored the fifth goal in the 61st minute by finishing off a pass from Giménez in the center of the area.
Three minutes later, Montoya scored his double by defining only inside the area after a pass from Giménez on a counterattack.
Angulo scored the seventh goal in the 69th minute with a shot in the small area after a center from Rodrigo Huescas.
Escobar closed the account in the 78th minute with a powerful shot from outside the area.
In the other series that were defined on Tuesday, Portland Timbers of the United States beat Marathon of Honduras 5-0, registering a 7-2 aggregate victory. In the second leg, the US team won with a triplet from the Colombian Yimmi Chará, and as many from the Argentine Diego Valeri and the Costa Rican Marvin Loría.
Meanwhile, the American Atlanta United defeated Costa Rica’s Alajuelense 1-0, the same score that he took out in the first leg, with which he went on to the next phase with an added score of 2-0.
Atlanta won the second leg thanks to a goal scored by Mexican Jürgen Damm in the 91st minute.
On Wednesday the keys will be defined between Toronto of Canada and León of Mexico, Philadelphia Union of the United States and Saprissa of Costa Rica, and America of Mexico and Olimpia of Honduras.
America and Philadelphia Union won their respective first leg matches 2-1 and 1-0, while Leon and Toronto drew 1-1.
The round of 16 will be completed on Thursday when the United States’ Columbus Crew host Real Estelí of Nicaragua, and Monterrey of Mexico is home to Atlético Pantoja of the Dominican Republic.
Columbus Crew won 4-0 and Monterrey did so with a 3-0 scoreline in the first leg matches. (Report by Carlos Calvo Pacheco)
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