Ibáñez late strike gives Cruz Azul win at CF Monterrey | OneFootball

GUADALUPE, Mexico – The 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup continued with Cruz Azul earning a 3-2 win over CF Monterrey in the First Leg of their Round of 16 series on Tuesday at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Érik Lira opened the scoring for La Máquina in the 25’ when he pounced on a loose ball in the area and was able to sneak it over the line to place the visitors in front.

Rayados responded with an equalizer ten minutes later as Roberto de la Rosa was in the perfect spot to redirect a Carlos Salcedo header off a corner kick. 

In the 40’, de la Rosa struck again when he found space on the left side of the box and blasted his second of the match to place the hosts in the lead.

Gonzalo Piovi leveled it for Cruz Azul, converting from the penalty spot in the 84’ following Monterrey goalkeeper Santiago Mele being sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

The reigning Champions Cup winners completed the rally in the 90’ when Nicolás Ibáñez smashed a sensational volley from an Omar Campos cross to stun the home team.

Cruz Azul will host the Second Leg of the series next Tuesday at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico. The winner on aggregate will advance to the Quarterfinals.

Post-Match Data

• Cruz Azul became the second team to win a match in the current Concacaf Champions Cup after trailing at halftime. The first was San Diego FC, which defeated Pumas UNAM 4-1 in Round One.

• This marks Cruz Azul’s first victory against CF Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup since the format change in 2008. It is also La Máquina’s first win against another Liga MX side in the competition since 2011 (3-1 vs. Santos Laguna). Since then, their record against Mexican clubs had been D3 L3.

• Nicolás Ibáñez’s winning goal at 89:39 against CF Monterrey is the latest scored by Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup since the goals by Jonathan Rodríguez (98:04) and Lucas Passerini (94:35) against Portmore United in 2020.

• Roberto de la Rosa became the sixth CF Monterrey player to score a brace in a Concacaf Champions Cup match since 2016. He is the second to do so against Cruz Azul after Rogelio Funes Mori in 2021.

• Luis Reyes is the oldest player to register an assist for CF Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup since at least 2016, at 34 years and 341 days. He surpasses the mark set by Sergio Canales last year against Forge FC at 33 years and 361 days.

• Érik Lira scored his second goal for Cruz Azul since joining the club in 2022. His first came against Necaxa in a 3-1 Liga MX victory in 2025.