Mexico's Cruz Azul crushes Vancouver Whitecaps and wins CONCACAF championship

On a calm and uneventful night, Mexico’s Cruz Azul were crowned champions of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup after defeating Canada’s Vancouver Whitecaps 5–0 in Sunday’s final at Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City.

The goals in Cruz Azul’s dominant win came from Uruguayan Ignacio Rivero in the 8th minute, Argentine Lorenzo Faravelli in the 28th, Polish midfielder Mateusz Bogusz in the 45th, and Ángel Sepúlveda, who scored twice in the 37th and 50th minutes.

"We took on the final with a lot of responsibility and it was a round game. the reality is that we solved it from the first half," said Sepúlveda, who finished as the tournament's top scorer with nine goals.

Cruz Azul fans dominated the stadium, but around 700 Whitecaps supporters made the trip and filled a small section of the stands at one end.

Vancouver started boldly with three attacking players to challenge Cruz Azul’s back three, but failed to create a single scoring chance throughout the match.

For their part, Cruz Azul showed their intent with energetic early runs down the sides and intense high pressing, which quickly paid off.

In the 8th minute, Vancouver attempted to play out from the back, but Argentine Carlos Rotondi intercepted and played the ball to Colombian Édier Ocampo, who set up Rivero in the box. The Uruguayan slotted a low, angled shot past the keeper to make it 1–0.

In the 28th minute, after dispossessing Argentine-Paraguayan Andrés Cubas, "Lolo" Faravelli doubled the lead with a powerful shot from outside the box.

Sepúlveda appeared in the 37th minute, extending his right foot in the six-yard box to score 3–0, following Rotondi’s cross from the left side.

Just before halftime, in the 45th minute, Bogusz received the ball at the edge of the box and scored the fourth goal with a low, curling shot.

After the fourth goal, left back Sam Adekugbe looked bewildered on the field, as did the Vancouver fans in the stands.

Game on the table

Cruz Azul came out strong in the second half, quickly asserting overwhelming dominance. Sepúlveda scored the fifth goal in the 50th minute with a header assisted by Jorge Sánchez.

In the 70th minute, Japanese goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka lost possession outside his area. With the goal left unguarded, Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis took a shot that Serbian defender Ranko Vaselinovic cleared with a header.

In the final match under interim coach Vicente Sánchez, Cruz Azul secured its seventh title in the top CONCACAF club tournament. The team previously won the championship in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, and the 2013–2014 seasons.

After the final whistle, two touching scenes unfolded: the Whitecaps players approached their fans to thank them for their support, and the crowd responded with a warm round of applause for the team’s run to the final.

"We made a couple of mistakes and they were very forceful every time they came on. We had a hard time with the altitude (2,240 meters above sea level), we didn't know how to adapt and we are sad to go home," said Daniel Ríos, Vancouver's Mexican forward.

After being doused with ice water, Vicente Sánchez knelt on the sideline, overcome with emotion, and celebrated the title through tears.

"I don't know the future, I live one day at a time and I don't know what might happen tomorrow. Today we have to enjoy," said Vicente Sánchez when asked about the possibility of continuing as Cruz Azul’s coach. "It's not up to me to make the decision, I try not to think about things that don't depend on me."

In addition to winning the title, La Máquina qualified for the 2025 Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.