MEXICO CITY - Javier Orozco scored twice in the second half and Cesar Villaluz added another to lead Cruz Azul into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Arabe Unido on Wednesday.
Cruz Azul became the third team from Mexico to reach the final four, joining Pachuca and Toluca, which advanced earlier in the evening with a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew. The result gave Cruz Azul a 4-0 aggregate victory and moved the club, which lost to Atlante in last year's finals, within one step of returning to the championship series.
The Azulinos will play either Mexico City rival Pumas UNAM or Marathon of Honduras in the semifinals. Marathon won the first leg of its quarterfinal series 2-0 and plays the second leg Thursday night at Estadio Olimpico Univeristario.
Orozco's first goal came after a series of near misses for Cruz Azul, and put it ahead in the 50th minute. He chested down a cross in the area that sailed over the head of Arabe defender David Daniels, and volleyed the ball on the bounce with his right foot from eight meters.
Villaluz doubled the advantage 14 minutes later, putting in a rebound after Arabe Unido keeper Carlos Bejarnano twice denied Orozco from within the goal box.
Orozco added his sixth of the tournament in the 75th, taking a ball from Villaluz, beating the offside trap and scoring untouched from the middle of the area.
The victory was Cruz Azul's fifth straight in the Champions League and extended its unbeaten streak to 10 in the competition, dating back to the second leg of last year's final against Atlante. It has won eight of the 10.
It also is unbeaten in its last five in the Mexican Clausura championship.
It is the second straight year that at least three Mexican teams have reached the semifinals, putting the country in position to win a fifth straight CONCACAF club title.
