Toluca vs Cruz Azul, Liga MX: Controversial victory for the Devils in the first leg of the quarterfinals

The ghosts reappeared in the path of the leader Cruz Azul when they lost 2-1 to Toluca, in the quarterfinals of the Guardianes 2021 tournament. Alexis Canelo (27 ') and Michael Estrada (52') each scored a penalty to give him the victory to the Devils, while La Maquina ended a streak of 19 games without losing, between Liga MX and Concachampions.

The repechage format gave a second chance to the Red Devils, who finished in position number 11. In the spirit of having eliminated the current champion, Hernán Cristante's men imposed the rhythm of the game from the beginning. Luis Romo elbowed Diego Rigonato, who suffered a blow to the nose unleashing a strong hemorrhage, for which he left the game and Haret Ortega entered.

In the middle of a frontal duel, nervousness also dominated the court and Juan Escobar committed a foul inside the area, giving the Devils a penalty. Scoring champion Alexis Canelo didn't miss against the nets and beat Corona with a shot to the left corner to give Toluca the advantage.

Despite the blow, La Maquina managed to equalize quickly, after Roberto Alvarado sent a pass to Guillermo Pol Fernández, who ruled with a volley. At the beginning of the complement, the Devils regained control although in the middle of the controversy. In a foul by Roberto Alvarado on Rubens Sambueza, referee Marco Antonio Ortiz signaled another penalty. Michael Estrada (52) was now in charge of shooting from eleven steps to score the second goal for the locals.

With the score against, Reynoso moved his pieces and sent Orbelín and Cabecita Rodríguez to the court. The changes drove the attack of the Celestial and although they stalked the goal of the locals, the interventions of goalkeeper Luis García denied them the goal.

Toluca vs Cruz Azul, Liga MX: Highlights