Patricio Salas scored the only goal as Club América beat Cruz Azul 1-0 in Jornada 14 of the Clausura 2026 regular phase at Estadio Banorte. Alejandro Zendejas sent the ball in from the right side, and Salas beat Gonzalo Piovi to it, timing his run well before finishing with a header.
For América, the goal settled a match that had started with long spells of possession and a Cruz Azul side set deep in a closed block, waiting to break. The early rhythm already had pressure points: Nicolás Ibáñez went off injured after a brief warmup and was replaced by Gabriel Fernández, while Agustín Palavecino tested Rodolfo Cota with a free kick and Rodolfo Rotondi later forced another save from outside the box.
Cruz Azul’s problems grew as Piovi picked up a booking after several fouls, a warning sign in a game where América kept pushing the same edge of the pitch. Brian Rodríguez was also denied twice by Andrés Gudiño, first with a right-footed shot and later with a powerful free kick, but Salas had already done the damage.
The Clásico Joven often turns on one clean chance, and this one belonged to América’s timing and delivery. Patricio Salas did not need many touches; he only needed the right one.
