Cruz Azul delighted his fans at Pay Pal Park in San Jose by defeating Atletico Nacional 3-0
Cruz Azul, with goals from Nicolas Ibanez, Luka Romero, and Mateo Levy, delighted their fans in San Jose, California, by defeating Atletico Nacional 3-0
No one can deny that Cruz Azul took full advantage of the FIFA break by defeating Atletico Nacional 3-0 In a friendly match held at Pay Pal Park in San Jose, California, Cruz Azul secured a victory with goals from Nicolas Ibanez, Luka Romero, and Mateo Levy. Despite several absences due to international duty, the team traveled to this city in the western United States to convincingly defeat the Colombians, capitalizing on goals from Argentinian Nicolas Ibanez, Luka Romero, and Mateo Levy, who had been inactive for some time. The squad managed by Nicolas Larcamon provided a night of joy against an opponent riddled with doubts, but determined to win against the South Americans, despite fielding a much-changed lineup. Kevin Mier retained his starting position in goal, facing his former team, while the defense consisted of Gonzalo Piovi, Jorge Rodarte, and Amaury Garcia, supported by Morales and Silva. In midfield, Jeremy Marquez, Luca Romero, Jose Paradela, and Andres Montano appeared, while Nicolas Ibanez started the attack, leading the Cementeros to victory. Cruz Azul dominated the match, controlling possession and creating the clearest opportunities against the Colombian side. However, despite Cruz Azul's superiority, the score remained unchanged during the first 45 minutes, and both teams went into halftime scoreless. Despite Cruz Azul's dominance, it wasn't until the 51st minute that Nicolas Ibanez opened the scoring after a cross from the right wing. The striker attempted to head the ball, but after a series of rebounds inside the area, he ended up pushing it in with his right foot for 1-0. With the lead, Cruz Azul completely took control of the ball and maintained their dominance. Ten minutes later, in the 61st minute, they scored their second goal. Luka Romero dribbled the ball into the box and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that first hit the post before finding the back of the net for 2-0. La Maquina didn't let up and continued to dominate the South Americans. In the final stretch of the match, in the 79th minute,Mateo Levy appeared to score the decisive 3-0 and signal the victory for Cruz Azul, further bolstered by the feeling that, by stepping on the gas a little, they would go for the final score, which is exactly what happened. The result satisfied the fans who attended the stadium in San Jose, who were able to see their team impose their will with authority against one of the most representative clubs of Colombian football, where Cruz Azul ultimately asserted their dominance. Thus, Cruz Azul remained active during the FIFA international break and took advantage of the hiatus to continue correcting details that caused them to lose the Liga MX lead under Nicolas Larcamon's management, especially since the vital part of the championship is approaching, namely the playoffs and the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals against LAFC.

