Tijuana beat Cruz Azul 2:1 in the fourth round of Liga MX Apertura at Estadio Caliente on Sunday evening. The hosts took the lead through Ignacio Rivero before Nicolas Ibanez equalised for the visitors on the stroke of half-time. Gorka Mora then fired home a second-half winner to give Tijuana their first victory of the season.
Rivero found space in the box and finished past the keeper in the 44th minute. Ibanez responded immediately after the break, latching onto a through-ball in the 45th-plus-two minute to level things up. Mora made the difference in the 54th minute, scoring from close range after a cross into the penalty area.
Cruz Azul dominated possession with 57 per cent but struggled to convert their chances. They registered six shots on target against four for Tijuana, yet their expected goals of 1.30 fell short of the hosts' 1.81. Big chances created told a different story — Tijuana carved out six opportunities while Cruz Azul managed only two.
The result moves Tijuana up to third place with six points from three wins, one draw and one defeat. Cruz Azul remain in 10th position with nine points from three victories and three losses. Both sides showed resilience through a physical contest that saw six yellow cards and seven substitutions between them.