La Máquina gives a dance to two-time Liga MX champion America

Mexico City. In the recount of images from last year’s final, there is one that produces an overwhelming feeling of grief in Cruz Azul. “They robbed us,” “it was a shame,” “it’s a sad chapter.” The reactions to the play that led to América’s championship, on May 26 at the Azteca stadium, instantly rekindled the rivalry and the accusations that exist about referee Marco Antonio Ortiz, whom the Celeste fans blame for favoring the Águilas with an alleged penalty. With that pain and that rage, La Máquina won 4-1 yesterday another vibrant edition of the youth classic.

After months of marking the date on the calendar, the Celestes finally had the night they had been looking for. The atmosphere at the Ciudad de los Deportes reached its climax and received its reward. There were images of people crowded in subway stations, a whole expansive plague that sang songs, said prayers and slowly advanced through the streets until the time of the match. Hatred, superstitions and old grudges thus took on the weight of the great parties.

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The goal scored by Uruguayan Brian Rodriguez, from a corner kick, made it clear that luck sometimes conspires between both teams. With only the bet of playing on the counterattack, Rodriguez headed a deflection by Henry Martin to the second post and referee Cesar Ramos, with the help of the VAR, validated the 1-0 in favor of the Americanists (17).

Cruz Azul took the blow as an affront, took responsibility for their mistakes, especially in midfield, and managed a heroic comeback in the space of five minutes. The Greek Giorgos Giakoumakis equalised with a header (43) while Ángel Sepúlveda, with a right foot and in the corner, converted the 2-1 before the break (45+3).

The departure of Chilean Diego Valdés, the Águilas’ playmaker, due to injury, turned the second half around. Then, La Máquina was just that: a train, a steamroller with the goals of Alexis Gutiérrez (79) and Lorenzo Faravelli (90), which consummated a dance with a taste of a rout.

“This is a gift for the fans”: Anselmi

In a press conference after the match, Cruz Azul coach Martín Anselmi said that “it is difficult to imagine a big result in any kind of derby. We started off a bit disorganized, until we adjusted the pressure. We grew, we managed to turn the result around and the personality of the team pulled us through. It is a gift for the Cruz Azul fans. They deserved it and we owed it to them.”

For his part, André Jardine, the Eagles’ coach, acknowledged that “the changes did not work out for us. We lost order and, against a rival of this hierarchy, you can suffer defeats like this. We have to apologize to the fans. It is a result that embarrasses us, but the tournament is just beginning. We have to accept this bad moment. Only by staying strong will we be able to get through it and make this go away.”