Match ends
Cruz Azul lost for the second game in a row; they had been ahead and Necaxa came back. Second consecutive win for Los Rayos. Anselmi's men lose their chance to be runners-up. Fentanes' team moves up to fifth place.
92' Time is running out
Cruz Azul keeps attacking. Time is running out and they are failing in the last touch. Necaxa takes advantage of the minutes where the ball is stopped.
90' Time expires
We reached the 90 minutes. The 'Singer' Guerrero grants 6 minutes of compensation.
85' Cruz Azul keeps pressing
Rotondi reached the back line, but Alan Montes recovered the ball.
81' Cruz Azul insists
We reached the final stretch of the match. There is tension in the Ciudad de los Deportes. Cruz Azul is trying, but not finishing well.
In case you missed it
This was the goal that turned the game around. José Paradela recovered, reached the area, cut back and scored in a great way to put his team ahead.
¡El Necaxa ya le dio la vueltaaaaaaaaa! ⚡
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) March 16, 2024
🚂 Cruz Azul 1-2 Necaxa ⚡
🔴 EN VIVO: https://t.co/EbKLCBnFlO
📺 Univisión y TUDN#SabadoFutbolero pic.twitter.com/3zOO2kdW2b
75' Yellow card for Cruz Azul player
A hard tackle by Faravelli on Paradela. The Blue and Whites' player receives a yellow card.
74' Cruz Azul attacks
La Máquina plays in the opponent's half, but they are not comfortable and have missed good scoring chances.
70' Shot by Necaxa
José Paradela tried to surprise Kevin Mier, but sent his shot well over the top.
In case you missed it
This was Necaxa's equalizing goal. Diber Cambindo slipped between the center backs and applied the law of the ex.
¡Gooool del Necaxa!
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) March 16, 2024
🚂 Cruz Azul 1-1 Necaxa ⚡
🔴 EN VIVO: https://t.co/EbKLCBnFlO
📺 Univisión y TUDN#SabadoFutbolero pic.twitter.com/SMJhOHzr7B
62' Necaxa is saved
Unsain made a save, then Fernando Arce saved on the line. Rivero missed the chance twice.
60'
Good diagonal from Huescas to the area, Levy tried, a foul was called on him. Fernando Guerrero did not signal a penalty.
55' Dangerous shot
Dangerous shot by Lorenzo Faravelli that goes over the top. Cruz Azul does not stop insisting;
In case you missed it
This was Rotondi's goal that opened the scoring. Cruz Azul took the lead in the 9th minute.
¡Goooooooool de Rotondiiiiiii!
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) March 16, 2024
🚂 Cruz Azul 1-0 Necaxa ⚡
🔴 EN VIVO: https://t.co/EbKLCBnFlO
📺 Univisión y TUDN#SabadoFutbolero pic.twitter.com/54CpbqicdW
50' Cruz Azul presses
The beginning was intense for the locals. The visitors were barely able to get out of their own half.
46' Cruz Azul substitution
Martín Anselmi made a surprising change for the second half. Ángel Sepúlveda was replaced by Mateo Levy.
Match restarts
Fernando Guerrero blew the whistle for the start of the second half. La Máquina is down 2-1 to Necaxa.
The first part is over
Fernando Guerrero whistled the end of the first half. Cruz Azul got off to an early start, but the Rayos soon reacted and then turned it around.
45+4 Cruz Azul danger
A series of touches in the Necaxa area. Antuna, Huescas and whoever else could play. The Rays didn't let up and rejected any Celeste chances.
45'
The 45 minutes are up. The assistant referee announces 4 minutes of compensation.
41'
Antuna's cross into the area, but no one shot.
38'
Ángel Sepúlveda and Agustín Oliveros remain on the pitch. The assistants are attending to the Rays' player.
34' La Máquina seeks
Cruz Azul's midfielders play the ball with the defenders looking for space to flow into the opponent's half.
27' ⚽️ ¡GOAL FOR NECAXA!
The Rayos turn the score around, steal the ball in the midfield. José Paradela scores after a great control.
26' Dangerous cross by Cruz Azul
Rontodi put in a dangerous cross to the far post, but was denied by the Necaxista backline.
20' No dominator
Neither team gives up the attack. It looks like an exchange of blows between both teams.
12' ⚽️ GOAL FOR NECAXA!
Diber Cambindo ties it up! The Colombian was released and tied it right away to apply the law of the ex.
9' ⚽️ GOAL FOR CRUZ AZUL!
Rodolfo Rotondi's shot was saved by Unsain. Everything was generated by the right flank.
7'
Rodolfo Rotondi's shot is deflected wide. Good cross from Huescas on the right, the machine is already generating danger.
5'Shared possession
The teams are just settling down on the field. Necaxa began without fear of taking the ball; Cruz Azul gradually became more animated.
The match begins
Fernando Guerrero blows the whistle and the game between Cruz Azul and Necaxa for Day 12 of the Liga MX at the Estadio de la Ciudad de los Deportes begins.
Minutes away from start
The Liga MX protocol ends, the players gather on the field for the last group chat and then the game begins.
Necaxa Lineup
These are the eleven players that Eduardo Fentanes has selected for this afternoon at the Ciudad de los Deportes. The only changes are Fernando Arce and Édgar Méndez for Alejandro Andrade and Ricardo Monreal.
Ezequiel Unsain
Emilio Martínez
Agustín Oliveros
Alexis Peña (c)
Jorge Rodríguez
Fernando Arce
Diego Esau Gomez
Édgar Méndez
José Paradela
Diber Cambindo
Necaxista fans make their presence felt
It is not a classic, but the fans are enthusiastic about their team's good moment, besides the fact that there are many fans in the capital of the country and they always wait for their team in the city to cheer them on.
Chingón!!
— ⚡Necaxa ⚡🪩 (@Necaxaficion) March 16, 2024
Necaxa@ClubNecaxa pic.twitter.com/EY3WMnD6bt
Last confrontation
The last time Rayos and Celestes met was on October 4 at Estadio Victoria. On that occasion, La Maquina won 3-1 over Necaxa with a hat-trick by Ángel Sepúlveda.
The Hidrorayos were unable to beat the Cementeros in their last two visits to the capital. Their last victory was on February 2, 2022 by a score of 2-1.
Cruz Azul Lineup
This is the lineup sent by Martín Ansemi for the match against Necaxa. Alexis Gutiérrez leaves the starting lineup, Camilo Cándido starts; Salcedo remains on the bench.
Equipment arrives
The two teams arrived at the Ciudad de los Deportes stadium, went out to reconnoiter the field and little by little people are beginning to arrive in what is expected to be a large entrance.
Arbitration
The refereeing quartet will be formed by Fernando Guerrero as center referee. This will be his sixth official match in the Clausura 2024 and his second against Cruz Azul in the current tournament.
Orlando Delgadillo as assistant referee
Jonathan Gómez as assistant 1
Manuel Alfonso Martínez as assistant 2
Old acquaintances
In both teams there are players who have already worn both jerseys, such as Diber Cambindo and Alejandro Mayorga recently. The Colombian is currently enjoying a good moment with the Aguascalientes after his brief stint in the country's capital. Alexis Peña, now captain of Necaxa, was champion with Juan Reynoso.
Édgar Méndez was another player who also played for Cruz Azul. He arrived for the 2017 Apertura and was part of the last generation of players who played at the Estadio Azul before the move to the Azteca.
However, Erik Lira, who spent a couple of tournaments with Necaxa's youth teams, played for Cruz Azul, while Ángel Sepúlveda also wore the red and white jersey.
Cruz Azul's Called-up Players
Martin Anselmi has only two unavailable players. Gabriel Fernández, who is already known to miss the whole tournament, and Willer Ditta, suspended again in the current tournament.
Welcome
We are just under an hour away from opening the Liga MX Saturday kickoff with the continuation of Day 12 with Cruz Azul vs Necaxa. It promises to be an interesting match between two teams that have been playing very well.
Stay tuned to follow Cruz Azul vs Necaxa live
In a few moments we will share with you the starting rosters for Cruz Azul vs Necaxa live on Liga MX Matchday 12, as well as the latest information.
How to watch Cruz Azul vs Necaxa Live in TV channel in USA
USA Date: Saturday, March 16
USA Time: 18:00 PM ET
USA TV channel (English):
USA TV channel (Spanish): Univisión y TUDN
Streaming: VIX
USA Internet Live Updates Commentary: VAVEL
What time is the Cruz Azul vs Necaxa Liga MX match?
This is the kickoff time for the Cruz Azul vs Necaxa Liga MX match, Saturday, March 16 in several countries:
Argentina: 8:00 PM
Bolivia: 7:00 PM
Brazil: 8:00 PM
Chile: 6:00 PM
Colombia: 6:00 PM
Ecuador: 6:00 PM
USA: 6:00 PM
Spain: 12:00 AM
Mexico: 7:00 PM
Paraguay: 8:00 PM
Peru: 6:00 PM
Uruguay: 8:00 PM
Venezuela: 7:00 PM
They are back
Cruz Azul returns to the Estadio de la Ciudad de los Deportes after playing their match against Chivas two weeks ago at the Estadio Azteca due to logistical issues with security due to a concert that same day and time at Plaza México.
Inaugurated on October 6, 1946 with an American soccer match between the Pumas of the UNAM and the Aguiluchos of the Heroico Colegio Militar, the sky-blue fans have been enthusiastic about the return of the celestial team to what was their home for 20 years.
Absent
La máquina will once again be without Colombian defender Willer Ditta, who was sent off in the last game against Santos and will miss this Saturday's match against Necaxa. The former Newell's player had just returned from a three-game suspension.
All indications are that Carlos Salcedo will replace him.
Last five Necaxa games
Los Rayos only suffered their first defeat of the semester two games ago; they have four wins and six draws. However, they have not won on the road since matchday 2, when they beat Puebla 2-1.
Necaxa 3-1 Atlético de San Luis (March 8)
Mazatlán 2-1 Necaxa (March 1)
Necaxa 1-1 Pachuca (23 February)
Necaxa 1-0 Chivas (20 February)
Querétaro 1-1 Necaxa (16 February)
Cruz Azul's last five games
In recent matches, Anselmi's team has lost two games, one to América and the other to Santos. Their only home loss was against Pachuca on Matchday 1.
Santos 3-0 Cruz Azul (March 9)
Cruz Azul 3-1 Chivas (March 2)
América 1-0 Cruz Azul (24 February)
León 2-3 Cruz Azul (21 February)
Cruz Azul 1-0 Tigres (17 February)
Overview of Necaxa
After a nightmarish year in their centennial, the Rayos are experiencing one of their best tournaments in recent years in Liga MX. Under the guidance of Eduardo Fentanes, Necaxa has once again excited its fans with a style of play that has them in the qualification zone.
The Aguascalientes team is currently in sixth place with 18 points; a win could put them in fifth place, but a loss could leave them in eighth.
Without having a very outstanding squad, Veracruz has also shown confidence in the young players; Alan Montes, Diego Esaú Gómez, Ricardo Monreal seem to be establishing themselves in the first team, while Heriberto Jurado has the potential to continue developing and players such as Jesús Alcántar, Jair Cortés, Alejandro Andrade and Waldo Madrid are starting to get minutes.
Overview of Cruz Azul
The Celestes are experiencing their best tournament since the title won in the Clausura 2021. The Argentinean coach, Martín Anselmi, has restored the confidence of players and fans, and has rebuilt a team that had been struggling for a couple of tournaments and where coaches had been parading around.
On the other hand, despite the good performance and the results in general, some matches did not end up going the machine's way and Anselmi will have to polish certain aspects that need to be improved. Last Saturday they lost 3-0 to Santos Laguna in Torreón, the third defeat of the tournament for the team from La Noria.
Cruz Azul is third overall with 22 points, América is only a couple points ahead of them; with a win, they could overtake them, provided that the eagles lose in the Clásico.
Welcome to VAVEL.com’s coverage of the Liga MX match: Cruz Azul vs Necaxa Live Updates!
Welcome to VAVEL.com's live coverage of the Cruz Azul vs Necaxa matchday 12 of the Liga MX. The match will take place at the Estadio de la Ciudad de los Deportes at 17:00 hrs central Mexico time.
My name is Angel Ortega and I will be your host for this match. We will be bringing you pre-match analysis, facts, score updates and live news here on VAVEL.