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Atlante draw first blood in CONCACAF Champions League final

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Atlante scored two goals in a seven-minute span midway through the first half to defeat Cruz Azul, 2-0, in the opening leg of the all-Mexican CONCACAF Champions League final Wednesday at Estadio Azul. Atlante takes the commanding lead home to Estadio Quintana Roo in Cancun for the return leg next Wednesday with a chance to capture the second CONCACAF club title in club history and first in 26 years.

Rafael Marquez Lugo, who scored the dramatic injury time penalty kick against Santos Laguna in the semifinals to book Atlante's ticket to the final set up both goals, the first by Fernando Navarro in the 17th minute and the second by Christian Bermudz on 24 minutes.

Cruz Azul played without suspended Gerardo Torrado and Cristian Riveros in the third all-Mexican CONCACAF final in four years. Atlante was without suspended players Luis Venegas and Giancarlo Maldonado. Both teams have been dreadful domestically with Atlante in 15th place in the 18-team league, one spot in front of Cruz Azul.

What do you think of the opening leg? Did you watch the match or have you lost interest when the Puerto Rico Islanders bowed out in the semifinals? Does Cruz Azul have a comeback in them or are they sunk? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I was pulling for Montreal and Puerto Rico after Houston went out. Unfortunately with two Mexican league teams in the final, there is no one to cheer for.
    😉

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  2. Great game for the neutral. Atlante jumped out of the gate and totally dominated the first half. Cruz Azul never recovered. The mexican league is quality, no reason to hate. Someday soon MLS will be there. The Mexican pro-league started in the 60s? We’ll get there.

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  3. I lost interest after watching the Montreal Impact lose their game. When the they collapsed at the end of their match, so did my interest. Underdog / Cinderella stories help to keep your interest when you don’t have a favorite in action.

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  4. It’s not unusual for the final in a Champions League-type competition to be a two-legged affair. If I’m not mistaken, Copa Libertadores and the Asian Champions League decide their titles over two legs. The two legs are used when there is no host city that wants to be the neutral site or if the organizers aren’t confident that the teams’ fans will travel to the neutral site.

    UEFA does it differently because fans there are more affluent, more willing, and/or more able to travel to a pre-determined European city for a one-game final.

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  5. I am a bitter american fan who is sick of the Mexican teams dominating the international competitions.

    Also very confused as to why the FINAL is over two legs, and not just one game.

    Doesn’t make any sense to me.

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  6. I stopped following the competition, not because there are only Mexican teams left, but because of these two Mexican teams. They are bottom-feeders in the current season in the domestic league, and I can’t stand the sight of Atlante after they got away with no sanctions after their behavior at the Superliga game against New England.

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