El Clásico Joven was painted sky blue, as Cruz Azul took all three points against América and, with their great performance at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, put their eternal rival in the pub...
El Clásico Joven was painted sky blue, as Cruz Azul took all three points against América and, with their great performance at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, put their eternal rival in the public eye.
Among the standout players of the match is Erik Lira, who plays games against Las Águilas with high intensity.
What makes the Clásico Joven so special?
Erik Lira and América are like water and oil; as the player himself said, he would never wear the azulcrema jersey in his career. However, there’s a special fact that heats up this rivalry.
While he was with Pumas, the national team player also warned during the Apertura 2021 Liguilla: “We’re gonna f*** América,” when they were beating Toluca in the play-in to face Las Águilas in the quarterfinals.
🔥"Nos chin...al América", @erik_lira a los seguidores universitarios🔥
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) November 22, 2021
🎥:@DanieCortesB#GanarOMorirpic.twitter.com/IMc8cR1Tij
And that’s how it went! The felines beat the Coapa side in the second leg to knock them out before the semifinals.
And to OneFootball’s microphones, Lira said that it would “obviously” be repeated this weekend.
Mission accomplished!
“El Jefecito” was key in Cruz Azul’s 2-1 victory; he shone on the CU pitch for the full 90 minutes of the Clásico Joven in central defense, an atypical but familiar position for him, where with his skills he stopped the azulcrema attack with 12 recoveries and five clearances.
In fact, the matchup against América ranks in Lira’s Top 3 performances of the tournament, with a score of 6.6, surpassed only by the clashes against Chivas and Toluca.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
📸 Manuel Velasquez - 2025 Getty Images
Category: General Sports
