In a thrilling match played last Sunday, February 15, at the Cuauhtémoc Stadium in Puebla, Cruz Azul defeated Tigres 2-1 in a game corresponding to Matchday 6 of the 2026 Clausura Tournament. La Máquina reached 13 points and climbed to second place in the overall standings, while the felines remained with 10 points in seventh place.
The match had a high-intensity first half but no goals. Cruz Azul threatened early with a shot from Nicolás Ibáñez that he failed to connect properly, while Tigres responded with a header from Joaquim that Omar Campos saved on the goal line. Diego Lainez also tried from outside the area, but Andrés Gudiño controlled it without problems .
It was in the second half when the emotions arrived. In the 56th minute, Carlos “Charly” Rodríguez sent a pass into the area that caused poor communication between Joaquim and Nahuel Guzmán. The Brazilian defender attempted to pass the ball back to his goalkeeper without realizing that Guzmán had left his goal, ultimately scoring an own goal and opening the scoring for the sky blues .
Four minutes later, Cruz Azul extended their lead. Willer Ditta shot from the area and Nahuel Guzmán managed to deflect it, but the rebound fell to Nicolás Ibáñez, who only had to push the ball into the net to make it 2-0. The Argentine striker, recently signed by La Máquina and coming precisely from Tigres, celebrated effusively, applying the so-called “law of the ex” .
Tigres reacted in the 71st minute. Vladimir Loroña sent a pass through for Ángel Correa, who inside the area finished across goal against Gudiño’s advance to narrow the score and make it 2-1 .
In the final minutes, both teams sought the opponent’s goal. Luka Romero came close to sealing the match with a long-distance shot that grazed the crossbar, while Tigres tried with Juan Brunetta and Correa himself, but the cementeros’ defense managed to hold on .
With this result, Cruz Azul consolidated as the tournament’s sub-leader, while Tigres suffered their second loss of the championship. La Máquina’s next match will be against Chivas de Guadalajara, the undefeated leaders of Clausura 2026, in a duel that will pit the first and second place teams in the overall standings against each other .
