Cruz Azul, Los Angeles FC, and Tigres UANL all secured their places in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup after the conclusion of their respective Round of 16 ties on Tuesday.
Cruz Azul 4-1 Seattle Sounders (4-1 on aggregate)
Cruz Azul overcame a scoreless first-leg draw to defeat the Seattle Sounders 4-1 in Mexico City. Carlos Rodriguez opened the scoring with a header in the 33rd minute. Angel Sepulveda doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 71st minute.
The Sounders briefly threatened a comeback when Danny Musovski scored in the 74th minute, but late goals from Luka Romero (85th minute) and Jorge Sanchez (88th minute) sealed a comfortable victory for the Mexican side. Cruz Azul will face either Chivas de Guadalajara or Club America in an all-Mexican quarter-final.
Columbus Crew 2-1 Los Angeles FC (Los Angeles FC advances 4-2 on aggregate)
Despite losing 2-1 to the Columbus Crew in the second leg, Los Angeles FC advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate victory.
The Crew, needing to overcome a 3-0 first-leg deficit, started strongly. Diego Rossi set up Jacen Russell-Rowe for a close-range volley in the 10th minute. Rossi then converted a penalty just before halftime, reducing the aggregate deficit to a single goal.
However, LAFC secured their progress when Denis Bouanga finished off a two-on-one breakaway with Cengiz Under in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time. LAFC will face either Inter Miami or Jamaica’s Cavalier in the quarter-finals.
Tigres UANL 3-1 FC Cincinnati (4-2 on aggregate)
Tigres UANL overturned a first-leg deficit to defeat FC Cincinnati 4-2 on aggregate, winning the second leg 3-1 in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico.
After a 1-1 draw in Ohio, FC Cincinnati took an early lead through an 18th-minute goal by Evander.
Tigres, however, responded with a three-goal burst in the second half. Ozziel Herrera equalized in the 64th minute and then assisted Juan Brunetta for the go-ahead goal five minutes later. Nicolas Ibanez headed home a Fernando Gorriaran cross in the 69th minute, with the goal initially disallowed for offside but awarded after a VAR review. Tigres will face either the Los Angeles Galaxy or Costa Rica’s Herediano in the quarter-finals.
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