Cruz Azul's Joao Rojas in FIFA Club World Cup semifinal action against Real Madrid at Le Grand Stade de Marrakech on December 16, 2014 in Marrakech, Morocco (Photo: FIFA via Getty Images)
MARRAKECH, Morocco – To help ease the disappointment of a 4-0 loss to Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals earlier in the week, Cruz Azul hopes to leave Morocco on a good note, when it faces Auckland City in the match for third place on Saturday.
With a win, the Mexican power would join Necaxa, Saprissa and Monterrey as the only teams from CONCACAF to finish that high in the competition’s history.
“Until now we beat the Sydney team (Western Sydney Wanderers) and we lost to a superior team like Real Madrid,” said head coach Luis Fernando Tena. “We now face a determining match. Third place is very important for us.”
Though the prospects of some players with the club are up in the air, Tena plans to field the strongest squad against the Kiwis.
“We are going to face the match with the best of what we have,” the the 56-year-old stressed. “We know the importance of third place. There are many players with uncertainty of not knowing their futures. They are here physically, but in their minds are elsewhere.”
La Maquina will battle against an Auckland City side that lost in extra time to San Lorenzo in their semifinal encounter. Tena acknowledged that overcoming the Asian champion will be a difficult task.
“They want to have the ball,” he pointed out. “It is a well-organized team, athletic and technically very good. We have to take the ball away from them, play our game and be superior on the wings. You have to leave them with little time over the ball because they have a good rhythm.”
