Cruz Azul double sees them past Querétaro in Quarterfinals First Leg

A goal in each half gave Cruz Azul a 2-0 victory over Querétaro at the Estadio Corregidora and earned them a convincing lead in the Quarterfinals of the 2018 Liga MX Apertura.

Pablo Aguilar broke the deadlock early on with a diving header following a corner in the 15th minute. At first, the goal was called back for an apparent offside, but after the play was reviewed in the VAR system, the match the officials deemed the goal valid to give La Máquina the lead.

The goal sparked Querétaro into life, but their biggest chance of the half didn’t arrive until the 41st minute when Camilo Sanvezzo rushed into 1 v 1 situation versus Jose de Jesus Corona, who swiftly came off his line to rescue the Cruz Azul defense.

The second half started with Cruz Azul mounted on the counter, and they would capitalize early in the second period through Martin Cauteruccio. After Roberto Alvarado struck the woodwork from long range, Elias Hernandez sent a dangerous low cross for Edgar Mendez to fire into the back of the net.

With the score at 2-0, Querétaro failed to regain a foothold in the match, as Cruz Azul remained dangerous team on the counter.

In the 91st minute, La Máquina missed a clear opportunity to put the tie away. After Angel Mena weaved his way past Querétaro goalkeeper Tiago Volpi, Milton Caraglio was called for a clear offside, in what ended up being the very last chance of the game.

Both teams are set to meet again on Saturday at the Estadio Azteca for the Second Leg, with Querétaro needing to score three times to have any chance of progressing to the Semifinals.