Neither team found the back of the net
Bajo las luces del Estadio Azteca, Cruz Azul y Pumas UNAM se encontraron en la jornada 10 de la Liga MX buscando redimirse de derrotas recientes, pero ninguno logró romper el equilibrio. El empate sin goles del 12 de marzo de 2022 no resolvió nada: ambos clubes permanecen en la misma posición en la tabla, con la urgencia del repechaje aún pendiente. En el fútbol, como en tantas cosas humanas, hay noches en que el esfuerzo no alcanza para transformar la situación, y el marcador en blanco se convierte en un espejo de la duda.
- Dos equipos heridos por derrotas recientes llegaron al Azteca necesitando puntos para no perder terreno en la tabla.
- Durante noventa minutos, la solidez defensiva de ambos lados frustró cualquier intento de romper el cero, generando tensión sin resolución.
- El empate dejó a Cruz Azul en el sexto lugar con 14 puntos y a Pumas en el noveno con 11, sin avanzar en la carrera por el repechaje.
- Lejos de ser un respiro, el 0-0 profundiza la presión sobre ambos clubes, que ahora deben ganar en sus próximas fechas para no quedar fuera de la liguilla.
Un sábado por la noche en la Ciudad de México, Cruz Azul y Pumas UNAM se midieron en el Estadio Azteca con la necesidad de sacudirse el mal momento. Cruz Azul venía de caer 3-1 ante Puebla y se aferraba al sexto lugar con 14 puntos. Pumas llegaba peor parado: novenos con 11 unidades tras perder 3-2 frente a Santos Laguna. Para ambos, el partido de la jornada 10 era una oportunidad de recuperar el rumbo.
El encuentro, transmitido por TUDN a las 8 p.m. hora peruana, contó con alineaciones bien definidas. Cruz Azul apostó por José Corona en el arco y una línea defensiva con Huescas, Aguilar, Abram y Aldrete, mientras Rodríguez, Lira y Baca intentaban dominar el mediocampo. Pumas respondió con Talavera bajo los tres palos y el dúo Rogério-Dinenno como referentes ofensivos.
Sin embargo, ninguno pudo perforar la portería rival. El 0-0 final reflejó la solidez defensiva de ambos equipos, pero también su incapacidad para generar el gol que cambiara las cosas. En una liga donde cada punto es vital para clasificar al repechaje, el empate supo más a oportunidad perdida que a mérito compartido. Cruz Azul y Pumas siguen en los mismos puestos, con la misma urgencia y sin el impulso que tanto necesitaban.
On a Saturday night in Mexico City, Cruz Azul and Pumas UNAM took the field at Estadio Azteca looking to shake off recent disappointments. Neither team found the back of the net. The match ended 0-0, a stalemate that left both sides still searching for momentum as the Liga MX season pushed toward its midpoint.
Cruz Azul arrived at matchday 10 wounded. The team had lost 3-1 to Puebla in their previous outing and sat sixth in the standings with 14 points—respectable, but not the position a club of their ambition wanted to occupy. Pumas UNAM came in worse off. They had fallen 3-2 to Santos Laguna and occupied ninth place with 11 points, their recent form a string of setbacks that made this fixture feel urgent.
The match kicked off at 8 p.m. Peru time on March 12, 2022, broadcast on TUDN across Mexico's cable networks. Cruz Azul fielded a lineup anchored by goalkeeper José Corona, with defenders Huescas, Aguilar, Abram, and Aldrete forming the back line. Midfielders Rodríguez, Lira, and Baca were tasked with controlling the center, while Mendoza, Morales, and Rivero carried the attacking burden. Pumas countered with Talavera in goal and a defensive unit built around Mozo, Ortiz, Freire, and Rodríguez. Their midfield featured De Oliveira and Meritao, with Rogério and Dinenno leading the forward line.
For ninety minutes, neither team could break through. The scoreless result, while perhaps frustrating for fans expecting a decisive outcome, reflected the defensive solidity both sides brought to the pitch. In a league where points were currency and every match carried weight in the playoff race, a draw felt like a missed opportunity for both.
The stalemate left Cruz Azul still in sixth place and Pumas still in ninth. Both teams would need to find wins in their next fixtures to climb the table and secure their positions in the playoff bracket. The draw was a reset, not a breakthrough—a reminder that in Liga MX, momentum matters, and neither team had managed to seize it on this night.
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a scoreless draw between two mid-table teams matter enough to cover?
Because in Liga MX, especially at this stage of the season, every point is contested ground. Both teams came in desperate—they'd just lost badly. A draw stops the bleeding but doesn't heal the wound.
What was the actual quality of play like?
The source doesn't tell us that. We know the lineups, we know the result, but not whether it was a tense defensive battle or a sloppy, mistake-filled mess. That's the gap between what gets reported and what actually happened on the pitch.
So both teams are essentially treading water?
Exactly. Cruz Azul has enough points to stay in the conversation, but sixth place isn't where they want to be. Pumas are worse off—ninth is the danger zone. They need wins, not draws.
What does this mean for their playoff chances?
Too early to say definitively, but every match from here on is a referendum. They can't afford many more nights like this one.
Did either team have a clear chance to win?
The source doesn't say. We have the final score and the names of the players, but not the story of the match itself—the near-misses, the saves, the moments that could have gone either way.