# Primera División de México Apertura 2008 Liguilla Final

The Apertura 2008 Liguilla Final was a two-legged football match-up to determine the Apertura 2008 champions. The series was contested between Deportivo Toluca F.C. from Toluca, Mexico State, and C.D.S.C. Cruz Azul from Mexico City, both of whom were playing in their first final against each other.

## Final rules

Like other match-ups in the knockout round, the teams will play two games, one at each team's home stadium. As the highest seeded team determined at the beginning of the Liguilla, Toluca was to have home-field advantage for the second leg. If the teams remained tied after 90 minutes of play during the 2nd leg, extra time will be used, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.

## Final summary
### First leg

The First Leg was played in front of a capacity crowd at Estadio Azul in Mexico City. Paulo da Silva opened up the scoreboard with a goal in the 14th minute followed by a superb free kick by Sergio Amaury Ponce at the 22nd minute. Cruz Azul could not find an answer in the 2nd half though they were playing better, Hernán Cristante of Toluca had a sensational game under the three posts. The final score left Toluca with a 2-goal advantage going into the next leg.
| Cruz Azul | Toluca |
CRUZ AZUL: :
| GK | 25 | Yosgart Gutiérrez |
| DF | 8 | Carlos Bonet |
| DF | 14 | Joaquín Beltrán |
| DF | 13 | Alejandro Castro | | 72' |
| DF | 21 | Jaime Lozano |
| MF | 6 | Gerardo Torrado (c) |
| MF | 7 | Cristian Riveros | 12' |
| MF | 23 | Edgar Lugo | | 46' |
| MF | 18 | César Villaluz |
| FW | 11 | Miguel Sabah |
| FW | 9 | Pablo Zeballos | | 71' |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 1 | Alfonso Blanco |
| DF | 32 | Emilio Hassan Viades | | 72' |
| DF | 16 | Rogelio Chávez |
| MF | 5 | Gabino Velasco |
| FW | 29 | Martín Galván |
| FW | 19 | Alejandro Vela | | 71' |
| FW | 15 | Nicolás Vigneri | | 46' |
| Manager: |||
| Benjamín Galindo ||||
TOLUCA: :
| GK | 1 | Hernán Cristante |
| DF | 16 | Sergio Amaury Ponce |
| DF | 14 | Edgar Dueñas |
| DF | 3 | Paulo Da Silva (c) |
| DF | 6 | Manuel De La Torre |
| MF | 55 | Israel López |
| MF | 5 | Martín Romagnoli | |
| MF | 75 | Néstor Calderón | | 67' |
| MF | 10 | Zinha |
| FW | 11 | Carlos Esquivel |
| FW | 9 | Héctor Mancilla | 60' | 80' |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 12 | César Lozano |
| DF | 24 | José Manuel Cruzalta |
| DF | 4 | Miguel Almazán |
| DF | 29 | Mario Méndez |
| MF | 18 | Carlos Adrián Morales |
| MF | 21 | Diego De La Torre | | 67' |
| FW | 59 | Raúl Nava | | 80' |
| Manager: |||
| José Manuel De la Torre ||||
* Assistant referees:
* Alberto Morín Méndez
* Carlos Ayala Cuéllar
* Fourth official:
* José Alfredo Peñaloza Soto

### Second leg

| Toluca | Cruz Azul |
TOLUCA: :
| GK | 1 | Hernán Cristante |
| DF | 16 | Sergio Amaury Ponce | 102' | 103' |
| DF | 14 | Edgar Dueñas |
| DF | 3 | Paulo Da Silva (c) |
| DF | 6 | Manuel De La Torre | | 70' |
| MF | 55 | Israel López |
| MF | 5 | Martín Romagnoli | 47' |
| MF | 75 | Néstor Calderón | | 54' |
| MF | 10 | Zinha |
| FW | 11 | Carlos Esquivel |
| FW | 9 | Héctor Mancilla |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 12 | César Lozano |
| DF | 24 | José Manuel Cruzalta | | 54' |
| DF | 4 | Miguel Almazán | | 70' |
| DF | 29 | Mario Méndez |
| MF | 18 | Carlos Adrián Morales |
| MF | 21 | Diego De La Torre | | 103' |
| FW | 59 | Raúl Nava | | |
| Manager: |||
| José Manuel De la Torre ||||
CRUZ AZUL: :
| GK | 25 | Yosgart Gutiérrez |
| DF | 8 | Carlos Bonet | | 65' |
| DF | 14 | Joaquín Beltrán | 63' |
| DF | 4 | Julio César Domínguez |
| DF | 16 | Rogelio Chávez | 32' | 56' |
| MF | 6 | Gerardo Torrado (c) | 18' |
| MF | 7 | Cristian Riveros |
| MF | 19 | Alejandro Vela |
| MF | 18 | César Villaluz |
| FW | 11 | Miguel Sabah | 100' |
| FW | 15 | Nicolás Vigneri | | 46' |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 1 | Alfonso Blanco |
| DF | 3 | Joel Huiqui |
| DF | 32 | Emilio Hassan Viades | 115' |
| DF | 21 | Jaime Lozano | 59' | 56' |
| MF | 5 | Gabino Velasco |
| MF | 23 | Edgar Lugo | 72' | 65' |
| FW | 9 | Pablo Zeballos | | 46' |
| Manager: |||
| Benjamín Galindo ||||
* Assistant referees:
* Arturo Velázquez Ramírez
* Antonio López Chávez
* Fourth official:
* Francisco Chacón Gutiérrez