CONCAF Champions League-Salt Lake Through
Sandy, Utah- Paolo Junior scored a goal in each half as Real Salt Lake got one back over Cruz Azul in a 3-1 victory on Tuesday to earn the Group A title in the CONCAF champions league. With the victory, Salt Lake avenged the 5-4 loss that they received against
the ‘Los Azulinos’ two months ago.
Salt Lake City is the first U.S base side to have won its group in the champion’s league.
Both teams had already qualified for the quarterfinals stage before the match with Salt Lake topping the group with 13 points, 3 ahead of Cruz Azul.
Yosgart Gutierrez, who has made only one start in the Mexican Apertura so far was making his 6th champions league appearance this season kept the goal clean till the 42nd minute. He dived on his right to deny Pablo Juniors’ penalty
kick which the Brazilian drew after breaking free of his marker Gerrardo Torrado and drew a foul from the Mexican.
The match was played in front of a record 20,043 crowd at the Rio Tinto Stadium. Just before half time, Haitian midfielder, Jean Alexandre won the ball and sent in to Collin Warner who dissected Cruz Azuls’ center backs Joel Huiqui and Adrian Cortes with
a perfect through ball. Paolo sprinted between the 2 Mexicans and lifted the ball past the Mexican goalie to score the MLS outfit’s first of the match.
Paolo added his and Salt Lakes 2nd goal in the 62nd minute when substitute Robbie Findley’s cross into the box was diverted by Dominguez only to be met by the Brazilian who diverted it in the goal.
Warner put the game beyond the Mexican side 7 minutes later when he beat the offside trap onto a ball from Andy Williams before finishing with his right foot.
Both sides used second choice line-ups for the match, using only 3 players each from their weekend league matches. Salt lake filled in with a number of seldom used players including goal keeper Kyle Reynish and 16year old American youth international Luis
Gil who made his debut for the club.
Salt Lake was without the services of Kyle Beckerman and Cruz Azul was missing Gonzalo Pineda and Hector Gutierrez through accumulated yellow card suspensions.
The Mexican side had the better of both opportunities and chances for much part of the match. Jean Alexander needed to make a late sliding tackle to deny Julio Cesar Dominguez a chance to score the first for ‘Los Azulinos’.
Memories of the previous match between the two sides came back when Cesar Villaluz launched an arched shot outside the box that went past the outstretched arm of Reynish to settle in the top corner. It was the same positions 2 months ago when the American
outfit was leading the Mexicans 3-1 and went on to lose 5-4 owing to a great comeback.
Reynish had to deny tournament’s leading goal scorer Javier Orozco in the 83rd minute.
Salt lake has now extended its unbeaten home run to an impressive 29 matches and overall 11. Their only loss in the last 19 matches was against Cruz Azul back in August 25.
Cruz Azul has the best record in the Mexican Apertura so far having lost only for the 2nd time in the last 13 games.
Team G W D L P
Real Salt Lake 6 4 1 1 13
Cruz Azul 6 3 1 2 10
Toronto 6 2 2 2 8
Arabe Unido 6 1 0 5 3
Tags: