And then there were four … The Liga MX semifinals kick off Wednesday night in Estadio Hidalgo when No. 1 seed Cruz Azul takes on eighth-seeded Pachuca. The Liguilla continues Thursday night in Torreón, Coahuila, where No. 5 Santos Laguna welcomes the third-seeded Camoteros of Puebla to Estadio Corona.
The favored Cementeros revisit the playoff stage where they suffered a humiliating collapse last season, and they are eager to erase the memories of the blown 4-0 first-leg advantage that saw the franchise’s Liga MX title drought reach 24 years.
As for the other three remaining Liga MX clubs, you have to go back three years (Santos Laguna), five years (Pachuca) and 12 years (Puebla) to find their most recent semifinals appearance.
No. 1 Cruz Azul at No. 8 Pachuca
These two teams met in Pachuca on Matchday 3 and pundits were wondering if Cruz Azul would ever recover from the playoff pratfall mentioned above. Coach Robert Siboldi quit in a fit of pique days later and Cementeros management hired Juan Reynoso – their fourth choice – just a few days before the season opener
The club was in disarray and lost its first two games of the Guardianes 2021 in lackluster fashion. Ironically, the Cementeros lost to Santos and Puebla, the two teams playing in the other semifinal.
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Against Pachuca, Reynoso went conservative, opting for a 5-man back-line in hopes of shaking things up. Despite yet another lackluster performance (the Tuzos outshot “La Máquina” 21-6 with 58% of possession), a second-half goal by defender Juan Escobar held up and Cruz Azul regained some confidence.
The Cementeros did not lose the rest of the season, matching the all-time Liga MX win streak (12) and finishing 13-2-2.
As for the Tuzos, the 1-0 home loss to Cruz Azul was part of a dismal 0-4-5 start that nearly cost coach Paulo Pezzolano his job. Whether or not ownership issued an ultimatum, the Tuzos found inspiration in early March and stormed home on a 6-1-1 run that continued into the playoffs.
Pachuca scored four second-half goals to knock the Chivas out in the Wildcard Round, then stunned No. 2 seed América 3-1 at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals. The sting of a 4-2 loss at Estadio Azteca was relatively painless since the two away goals saw the Tuzos past the heavily favored Aguilas, setting up the showdown with Cruz Azul.
These semifinals mark the fourth playoff meeting between these two franchises and Pachuca holds a 2-1 edge. Their first encounter came in the Invierno 1999 Final with the Tuzos winning the title at Estadio Azteca in extra time, the Golden Goal supplied by Alejandro Glaría. It was Pachuca’s first-ever Liga MX title.
The second meeting came in the Clausura 2004 Wildcard Round with the Cementeros knocking off Pachuca 4-1 on aggregate. The most recent playoff clash took place in the Clausura 2007 semifinals, but had an odd outcome. Pachuca won the first leg at Estadio Azul by a 3-1 margin, but the Cementeros were then booted out of the tournament for using an ineligible player.
Cruz Azul has never lost at Estadio Hidalgo in the playoffs (a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Invierno 1999 Finals and a 2-0 win in the Clausura 2004 Wildcard Round).
Liga MX hands down punishment
On a side note, Pachuca this week escaped a stadium ban following a post-game pitch invasion after Thursday’s quarterfinals match against América. At least seven Aguilas fans rushed the field and approached Guillermo Ochoa and Gio dos Santos before security intervened. The Liga MX Disciplinary Committee went easy on the Tuzos, slapping the club with a fine and a warning that a ban would be applied if another violation occurs.
No. 3 Puebla at No. 5 Santos Laguna
These two teams met in the same venue just over two weeks ago with a first-round bye on the line. In that May 2 contest, visiting Puebla knew it could clinch the No. 3 seed with just a draw while Santos had to win to climb into the No. 4 spot.
The game ended in a scoreless draw, sending the Guerreros into the Wildcard Round as the No. 5 seed. This might have been a godsend since “Los Albiverdes” were matched against lowly Querétaro and that game basically served as a tune-up for the Liguilla. It also allowed midfielders Diego Valdés and Fernando Gorriarán to see some game time as they sought to recover fitness following lengthy injury lay-offs.
The Guerreros then eliminated No. 4 Monterrey in the quarterfinals thanks to an extra-time goal from sub Roni Prieto, while Puebla struggled to get past No. 7 Atlas thanks to an own-goal by Zorros defender Anderson Santamaría.
The Camoteros are the higher seed but Puebla has not defeated Santos since Jan. 20, 2013, a 2-1 win at Estadio Cuauhtémoc. Since then, the Guerreros have gone 6-11-0 against “La Franja.”
The only previous playoff meeting between these two clubs occurred exactly 20 years ago in the Verano 2001 semifinals and it was one of the more entertaining series in recent memory. Puebla outscored Santos 5-4 in Estadio Cuauhtémoc, but fell 2-1 at Santos in the return leg. The 6-6 result saw the Guerreros advance as the higher seed and Santos went on to defeat Pachuca for the Liga MX title.