Pablo Zeballos and Alejandro Vela scored in the first half as Cruz Azul continued its domination of the Columbus Crew with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday at Crew Stadium in a Group C match in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Mexican side outscored the Crew 7-0 in their two games. Cruz Azul (3-0-1) leads the second-place Crew (2-2-0) by four points with two matches left. The Crew can still clinch second in the group and a berth in the knockout round by defeating Saprissa of Costa Rica at home Sept. 29.
Although the Crew still retain their MLS record 21-match home unbeaten streak, the loss was still a blow to their pride, although there wasn't any advantage in terms of fan support as Cruz Azul followers outdistanced the home side in quantity and volume.
The visitors were stymied early but scored in the 14th minute on its first shot. Crew defender Eric Brunner twice had the opportunity to knock a rolling ball out of the box but overstepped each time and Zeballos was there to settle the ball and calmly place it past goalkeeper William Hesmer.
It was a physical and sometimes chippy match. After Danny O'Rourke and Alejandro Castro exchanged tackles, the ensuing corner kick saw Horacio Cervantes of Cruz Azul deliberately elbow Steven Lenhart in the face in front of goal in the 36th minute.
There was no foul called and several Crew players, most notably Gino Padula, had to be restrained from getting to Cervantes before calmer heads prevailed.
Cruz Azul showed its quick strike capabilities for a second time shortly thereafter when Ramon Nunez changed the point of attack with a well-placed service to Vela on the left flank. He was wide open for a cheeky chip over William Hesmer in the 39th minute.
Despite the first half score the Crew had two moments that could have altered the result.
The Crew nearly made it 1-1 in the 21st but Yosgart Gutierrez made a wonderful save with his left hand on Alejandro Moreno's low strike from 18 yards. After Cruz Azul scored its second goal, Schelotto sent a free kick off the left post.
Columbus had two-thirds of the 15 shots and four of six on goal in the first 45 minutes.
The Crew opened the second half with determination but Gutierrez made another outstanding diving stop of Duncan Oughton's 22-yarder in the 47th minute.
Gutierrez denied the Crew again in the 69th following second-half substitute Emmanuel Ekpo's dart through the Cruz Azul defense. He got to within 15 yards off goal and laced a low drive that Gutierrez went to his knees to stop.
Cruz Azul absorbed the pressure and used the counterattack for an occasional foray into the Columbus end.
Columbus had another scoring chance go awry in the 81st when Adam Moffat's side volley from 10 yards bounced off the crossbar. Gutierrez made the last of his seven saves on Schelotto in the 90th minute.
The Crew's frustration was evident throughout the match as Lenhart and Schelotto were issued yellows for flinging the ball after the referee's decisions.
Crew coach Robert Warzycha blended first teamers with reserves for his hybrid lineup. The surprise might have been Schelotto getting the nod after scoring twice in 88 minutes on Sunday at Chicago and the Crew facing a key match Saturday vs. Los Angeles.
Backup midfielders Oughton and Moffat started and part-time regular Lenhart started at forward alongside Moreno and Schelotto as Warzycha used a 3-4-3 instead of the usual 4-4-2.
Brunner, who collected two quick cautions in the first match, was at right back with Gino Padula on the opposite side and O'Rourke as the sweeper.
Missing from the Crew starting lineup were defender Frankie Hejduk and midfielders Emmanuel Ekpo and Brian Carroll. But the team showed a week earlier at Saprissa in a 1-0 victory that a makeshift squad could get a result.
Cruz Azul dominated the game in Mexico City on Aug. 26 and raced to 2-0 lead after the eight minutes. It added three more following Brunner's departure in the 38th.
Columbus got off to a better start Wednesday with its high tempo and aggressive marking through the center of the pitch. The Crew had several good combinations that earned it the game's first two corner kicks through 11 minutes. Lenhart committed a foul on the first and sent a header on goal for an easy save for the second attempt but Cruz Azul quickly turned the momentum in its favor.
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
