By Alejandro Guzmán
Club León advanced to the 2026 Leagues Cup Semifinals with a commanding 3-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, extending its winning streak across Liga MX and Leagues Cup to seven consecutive matches.
Colombian striker Díber Cambindo was the difference-maker for León, scoring twice. He opened the scoring in the 21st minute after Iván Moreno delivered a cross into the box, with Cambindo finishing with his left foot to give León a 1-0 lead.
Real Salt Lake searched for an equalizer and created opportunities through Sergi Solans, who was denied twice by León goalkeeper Óscar García in the 37th minute. Real Salt Lake continued to push early in the second half, but León held firm.
León doubled its advantage in the 66th minute when Chilean defender Sebastián Vegas headed home from a corner kick, with Fernando Beltrán providing the first of his two assists on the night.
Cambindo completed his brace six minutes later, finishing from inside the box after another assist from Beltrán to make it 3-0 in the 72nd minute.
León protected its three-goal advantage through the final stages, leaving Real Salt Lake without a response. The victory secured León’s place in the Leagues Cup Semifinals, where it will face the winner of the Quarterfinal matchup between Toluca and Austin FC.
REACTIONS
- Club León Head Coach Javier Gandolfi
- “He [Díber Cambindo] had an extraordinary game. He made the right decisions, and things were going to come his way. He is an important player for the team, and if he is doing well, he will surely make everything around him better.”
- Real Salt Lake Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni
- Football is a game of moments. It's not 90 minutes. It's 5,400 moments. And if you don't get all those right, then you put yourself in a position to not get the results that you want.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Club León
- Díber Cambindo was named the Player of the Match after scoring two goals.
GAME NOTES
- Club León remains unbeaten in the 2026 Leagues Cup, with four victories in regulation.
- Club León has won seven consecutive matches across Liga MX and the 2026 Leagues Cup after losing to Atlas and Xolos in its first two matches of the Apertura 2026.
- Díber Cambindo has recorded two goals and two assists in the 2026 Leagues Cup. Across his last nine matches in all competitions, including Liga MX, he has three goals and three assists.
- Fernando Beltrán recorded two assists in the match.
- Iván Moreno recorded his second assist of the 2026 Leagues Cup.
- Daniel Arcila saw his six-match scoring streak across Liga MX and the 2026 Leagues Cup come to an end.
- Club León leads the 2026 Leagues Cup with nine goals scored. The tournament record belongs to Toluca, which scored 14 goals in the 2023 edition, while Monterrey scored 12 that same year.
- Real Salt Lake is winless in its last four matches, including three consecutive losses across MLS and the 2026 Leagues Cup, since defeating FC Juárez 3-0 in its final match of Phase One.
- Real Salt Lake has conceded 10 goals while scoring six during its four-match winless streak.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- Club León: Díber Cambindo (77')
- Real Salt Lake: DeAndre Yedlin (9'), Pablo Mastroeni (39'), Lukas Engel (78')
- Injuries:
- Real Salt Lake: Stijn Spierings (27')
LOOKING AHEAD
- Club León returns to Liga MX action to visit Atlante on August 28.
- Real Salt Lake stays in Colorado to continue its MLS season against the Rapids on August 28.
