Cruz Azul beats the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 for the CONCACAF Champions Cup title
Ángel Sepúlveda scored twice and Cruz Azul routed the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 on Sunday to win its seventh CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Sepúlveda finished with a tournament-best nine goals. Ignacio Rivero, Lorenzo Faravelli and Mateusz Bogusz also scored for Cruz Azul, which built a 4-0 lead by halftime.
The Liga MX club tied crosstown rival Club America for most titles in the tournament. It was Cruz Azul's first title since 2013-14 when La Máquina beat Tijuana.
The Whitecaps were looking to make history as the first Canadian team to win the tournament, and the first winner from Major League Soccer since the Seattle Sounders in 2022.
Cruz Azul had four shots on goal in the first half and scored on all of them. La Máquina took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Whitecaps and Ignacio Rivero coolly finished with his left foot in the seventh minute in front of cheering home fans at Estadio Olímpico Universitario.
Faravelli's goal came after a similar defensive lapse, struck from distance and went into the net after hitting the post.
After Sepúlveda's sliding goal in the 37th, Bogusz added a goal in the 45th just before the teams went into the break. Sepúlveda added another goal on a header in the 50th.
It was Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier's fourth clean sheet of the tournament. The Whitecaps had no shots on goal during the match.
Vancouver was without Sebastian Berhalter because of yellow card accumulation. He scored in both legs of the semi-final against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
The Whitecaps had hoped that captain Ryan Gauld would return from a knee injury in time for the game but he was not available.
Cruz Azul advanced with a two-legged victory over UANL Tigres.
It was the first meeting between the Whitecaps and Cruz Azul.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
15 minutes ago
- CBC
How social media age limits are being applied — and the risks they pose
As Quebec considers limiting social media for kids under 14, we look at how other jurisdictions around the world have enforced their own restrictions and the concerns when it comes to protecting the privacy of minors.
CBC
20 minutes ago
- CBC
Renée Amilcar to leave OC Transpo
Renée Amilcar, the general manager of transit services at OC Transpo, is leaving her position after less than four years, according to a memo sent to city councillors Tuesday. Amilcar is leaving to "pursue a new career opportunity," wrote city manager Wendy Stephanson in the memo. Her last day on the job will be July 18. Troy Charter, the current director of transit service delivery and rail operations for OC Transpo, will serve as the interim general manager after Amilcar departs, according to Stephanson. "Renée has served the City with dedication and professionalism, leading the Transit Services team through a period of significant operational transformation, modernization and service improvement," she wrote. "I want to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Renée for her contributions and wish her continued success in her future endeavours." Amilcar has presided over a tumultuous period at OC Transpo. Her tenure at the head of the organization has been marred by ongoing technical problems with the city's relatively new light rail system, dwindling ridership and unpopular changes to the city's bus network. A longtime public transit official from Montreal, Amilcar was hired in September 2021 and started in her new job the following month. At the time, the city said she was selected following "an extensive, international executive search." She replaced John Manconi, who left after a 32-year career with the city amid continuing fallout from Ottawa's problem-plagued LRT launch. Amilcar is an industrial engineer who worked at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Nortel Networks and Montreal's Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), where she became executive director of bus services in 2014.
National Post
23 minutes ago
- National Post
Eric Bischoff reacts to WWE's "hard decision" to release Ron Killings
WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of No Holds Barred, Postmedia wrestling writer Jan Murphy and Postmedia's Rob Wong speak with former WCW President and WWE Hall of Famer, Eric Bischoff (via Jackpot City Canada). They chat about Eric's involvement with Hulk Hogan in Real American Freestyle, the state of the pro wrestling industry, WWE's decision to not renew the contract of Ron 'R-Truth' Killings, John Cena's heel turn, and more.
