Cruz Azul star suffers horror injury, out of Flamengo clash | OneFootball

Jésus “Chiquete” Orozco, tipped to play in the World Cup for Mexico, will not travel to Qatar

Cruz Azul (MEX) will have a significant absence for Wednesday’s (10th) match against Flamengo. Defender Jésus “Chiquete” Orozco suffered a serious injury in the Mexican league semifinal, in the 1-1 draw with Tigres (MEX). Therefore, the player is out of the Intercontinental match.

The incident happened at the 41st minute of the second half. In a one-on-one between “Chiquete” and Ángel Correa, the Tigres player took a shot, and the defender blocked it with his right foot. However, the impact was strong, and the ball ended up twisting the Cruz Azul defender’s ankle.

As a result, Orozco fell to the ground in tears, the ambulance came onto the field, and players from both teams were desperate at the sight of the player’s twisted ankle. Thus, the defender is out of Wednesday’s (10th) match and is a concern for the Mexican National Team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, depending on the results of his medical exams.

IS OROZCO A STARTER FOR CRUZ AZUL?

Jesus Orozco, 23, started in the first leg of the semifinal but came on in the second half last Saturday (6th). However, after just 28 minutes on the field, the defender had to leave, leaving the team one man down, as all five substitutions had already been made. This season, Chiquete played 16 matches, scored one goal, and provided one assist.

For the Mexican National Team, Orozco has nine appearances, the most recent being last month. On November 18, he started in the 2-1 friendly defeat against Paraguay. In other words, a significant loss for Cruz Azul ahead of the clash with Flamengo.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO VS CRUZ AZUL?

In addition to losing Orozco, Cruz Azul failed to secure a spot in the final of the Mexican Championship Apertura with the 1-1 draw against Tigres. The team needed a win to advance. Now, ‘La Máquina’, as the club is known, faces Flamengo at 2:00 p.m. (Brasília time) on Wednesday (10th), in the quarterfinals of the Intercontinental Cup, in Qatar.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.