Cruz Azul and Pumas fought hard in a 0-0 tie in the first leg of the Clausura 2026 Liga MX Final. Cruz Azul dominated but couldn’t open the scoring as Pumas takes a key result home for the 2nd leg. Pumas’ defense held well after a lousy start but Pumas will need to win on Sunday as the Liga MX Final has to have a winner as the Liga MX standing no longer count as a tie breaker. Pumas will host the return leg on Sunday night, hoping for their first title since 2011.
The 1st half started with the surprise that Santiago Trigos started the match instead of Adalberto Carrasquilla. After getting the ball in the area, Christian Ebere got off a low left footed shot that Pumas’ goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, would make a great save on. From way outside the area, Jose Paradela got off a great left footed shot that forced an even better save from Navas. Off a counter, Agustin Palavecino got off a right footed shot that forced another save from Navas. As expected, Cruz Azul was on the offense while Pumas went defensive. After Carlos Rodriguez got the ball in the area, Alvaro Angulo got off a terrible slide that dropped him and a Penalty Kick was given to Cruz Azul. The replay saved Pumas as Rodriguez had been offside and it was correctly overruled. A cross into the area was headed by Paradela but right to Navas. The halftime whistle blew and although Cruz Azul had dominated possession, Pumas started to improve defensively, leading to fewer chances for the home side and tied game at the half.
The 2nd half started with no changes from either team. From outside the area, Ruben Duarte got off a left footed shot that went wide. A low cross into the area found Rodriguez but his right footed shot hit the post. After getting the ball in the area, Palavecino got past a defender and got off a right footed shot that was deflected wide by Navas. Pumas subbed out Juninho for Adalberto Carrasquilla. A longball into the area allowed Uriel Antuna to reach and get off a lobbed shot that was brilliantly blocked by Cruz Azul’s goalkeeper, Kevin Mier. Cruz Azul subbed out Christian Ebere for Gabriel Fernandez. A thru pass from Paradela, turned into a shot that forced a save from Navas. A cross into the area was headed terribly by Fernandez, wasting a chance as it ended up cleared by Pumas’ defense. Cruz Azul subbed out Jose Paradela and Jeremy Marquez for Luka Romero and Amaury Morales. Palavecino got off a right footed shot that went straight to Navas. A long ball into the area was almost won by Robert Morales but Mier was able to clear the ball before he could get a chance in the area. Pumas subbed out Uriel Antuna for Pablo Bennevendo. A cross into the area was headed by Romero but it fell easily into Navas’ arms. After a great pass from Carrasquilla allowed Morales to get the ball in the area, he got off a strong right footed shot that hit the post in what was by far the best chance for Pumas in the match. Cruz Azul subbed out Carlos Rodriguez for Andres Montaño. Montaño got off a left footed shot from outside the area that went wide. A cross into the area was deflected into the path of Willer Ditta, who got off a lobbed cross past Navas but Pumas{ defense was able to clear the ball before any Cruz Azul player could get an empty net chance. It was the last great chance as Pumas held on for the scoreless tie that meant the series would be decided on Sunday.
Cruz Azul was the better team from the start as Pumas’ plan was always going to be defensive. While it paid off terribly in the first leg of their Semifinals clash against Pachuca, this time they got the result they wanted. Still Pumas will need to improve a lot against a Cruz Azul side that is a better squad than Pachuca. If Pachuca gave Pumas a lot of trouble after they got their lead last Sunday, Azul will be a tougher rival. If Navas was already the main character on Thursday, he should be even more important on Sunday. Cruz Azul dominated the match but they also faltered as time went thru and they could have lost had Morales’ not been unlucky with his shot. Both sides needs to improve as everything is left for the key 2nd leg.