Christian Gimenez
Christian Gimenez and Cruz took the opening leg from America 1-0. Twitter

The 2013 Liga MX season has surely been a memorable one as there were at least 4 teams many thought could advance to the championship round.

Heading into the last few days of the season however, two teams reigned surpreme. With the championship round producing heightened excitement and expectations among soccer fans, America and Cruz Azul met Thursday night in the first leg of the 2013 Mexican Clausura final, held at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City.

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A crowd of 35,000 fans - mostly supporters of the home team Cruz Azul - were treated to a relatively quick start when Cruz midfielder Christian Gimenez put his squad up 1-0 with a nicely played header from the center of the box in the 19th minute.

The goal from the Cruz star proved to be the only tally of the first half and even though they trailed on the scoreboard, America seemed to have some success in the offensive zone, out-shooting Cruz in the first 45-plus 11-4, with both teams firing 2 shots in on goal.

America also controlled the time of possession throughout the opening frame but the 10-time champions were never able to put a number on the board.

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As the second half played on, Club America continued to get opportunity after opportunity in the Cruz end but were simply unable to capitalize due to strong closing defense from their opponents and fantastic net play from Cruz keeper Jose Corona, who stopped each of the 6 shots that came his way. Corona is regarded as one of the top goalies in all of Mexico and on the biggest stage in front of a capacity crowd, the 32-year-old Guadalajara native had one of his finest performances, protecting his teams lead and stopping multiple rushes brought on by the quick America offense.

Despite struggling at times offensively and not controlling the tempo of the match, Cruz took the crucial opening leg at home 1-0 on the strength of Gimenez's header in the 19th minute.

Having finished as the Clausura runner-up nine times in their history, Cruz Azul is one solid performance away from hoisting the trophy for the first time in 16 seasons. Trailing by only a goal, America should feel good about their position considering the fact that they had ample opportunities to score but couldn't find a way to put the ball in the back of the net.

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The second leg of the Liga MX final is set for Sunday, May 26th at 9:00pm, EDT from the Estadio Azteca in Mexico.

WATCH Highlights From Cruz Azul's 1-0 First Leg Victory:

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