As the referee ran back onto the field after his VAR review, the entire stadium held its breath. The referee signaled no penalty and that the match was over. Jubilation followed. Monterrey won the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League 1-0 over Club America to book its place in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup. Los Rayados have now won five CONCACAF Champions League titles in the last ten years.
Monterrey controlled the match
Monterrey took control from the start, but they missed a couple of good chances in the first couple of minutes. The hosts broke through with the winning goal in the 8th minute. Club America defender Sebastian Caceres whiffed on the clearance of Jesus Gallardo’s ground cross which found Rogelio Funes Mori for an easy goal.
Monterrey continued to put pressure on Club America throughout the entire game on counter-attacks. At the same time, Club America was unable to threaten the Monterrey backline for most of the game. Manager Javier Aguirre decided to go with a five-man backline which closed down attacking spaces. This forced Las Aguilas to send in crosses which Monterrey defender Cesar Montes and goalkeeper Estaban Andrada routinely cleared or caught.
Los Rayados came close to doubling up their lead when Vincent Janssen intercepted a Caceres back pass. Janssen was denied a goal when a recovering Caceres cleared it off the goal line after Janssen got around Club America goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Controversy rules in CONCACAF
It wouldn’t be a CONCACAF match without controversy. America sent everyone forward but couldn’t find a way through the Monterrey defense until the last minute of added time when they won a free-kick. Sebastian Cordova sent the ball into the box which was cleared out, but America sent the ball back into the box on a header which floated perfectly to Federico Viñas. Agonizingly for Club America, Viñas hit the crossbar and the rebound bounced to teammate Chucho Lopez. Then, Lopez took a shot which was blocked by Maxi Meza. Cordova charged in to control the rebound and attempted to dribble through traffic. Then, while Cordova dribbled, the ball appeared to possibly make contact with Meza’s arm before going out of play. It was the possible hand-ball by Meza that provoked the VAR to signal to the referee to review the play.
What’s next for both teams?
Monterrey will play will in the FIFA Club World Cup which was recently announced to be in United Arab Emirates. This victory should be a boost for Los Rayados and Javier Aguirre because they have been in a poor run of form in the league. They will look to end their poor run of form in Liga MX against Atletico San Luis.
For America and manager Santi Solari this is a disappointment. His squad didn’t play well and didn’t have the answers in this match. America must rebound and they are still in a great position to win the Apertura title in December. Las Aguilas next face Cruz Azul in El Clasico Joven.
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