Monterrey had the dream of winning their sixth Liga MX title but that all ended Saturday night after they lost to Toluca who will make their second consecutive final. Rayados were no match for the Diablos who have their own dream of being crowned bicampeones.
Monterrey knew the game against Toluca was going to be a difficult one. They won the first game 1-0 but they were lucky to have walked away with that result. They then had to walk into Toluca’s stadium, ‘El Infierno’ with a narrow one goal lead
with 90 minutes separating them from the final. On the other hand Toluca knew they had the momentum on their side as they controlled the first game even though the score line said otherwise. This is why it wasn’t surprising when they came out firing the moment the game started as just a draw would get them back into the final. That moment came in the 19th minute thanks to Federico Pereira.
Toluca was awarded a corner kick which Jesus ‘Canelo’ Angulo was tasked with taking. His first shot in the box was headed out but he was able to get onto the rebound. He sent the ball to Helinho who put the ball at the far post where Pereira was there ready to hit the ball into the back of the net to level the aggregate score. The Rayados made a mistake by not marking Pereira correctly as he was able to make his way into the box to push the ball in. Monterrey was now forced to score if they wanted to make it to the final. That became even more challenging when the home side doubled their lead right before the half.
The Monterrey defense attempted to get rid of their ball that was near their box but Nicolas Castro was there to collect it. He then sent the ball to Paulinho who made his way into the box and while he had two defenders on him, he got the ball past Luis Cardenas to go up 2-0 at the half. The Rayados had attempted to make their way back into the game as they had become more aggressive but this goal stopped that forward progress. Monterrey now had to regroup in the locker room if they wanted a chance to make a comeback in the second half.
While Antonio Mohamed opted to not make any changes to begin the second half, Domènec Torrent made two. Fidel Ambriz and Luis Reyes came out for Iker Fimbres and Anthony Martial. The Frenchman has not made the impact many expected so it was not surprising when he did not see any action in the first leg. This time Torrent hoped Martial would finally make a mark during a pivotal game. It wasn’t long after these changes were made that the night went from bad to worse. Castro made his way into Monterrey’s box when Ricardo Chavez attempted to take the ball away from the Argentinian but he mistakenly committed a penalty in the box and the referee did not hesitate to call it. Rayados players attempted to plead with the referee but his mind was made up and the penalty was confirmed. Helinho stepped up to take it and he sent Cardenas diving to his right as the ball went left to go up by 3-0.
It was then in the 53rd minute when Monterrey was given a lifeline when Martial was part of a vital play. The Frenchman was in the box looking for a way to get around the red shirts in order to take a shot. Marcel Ruiz then got in the way and knocked him down. The central referee did not blow his whistle to indicate any type of fouls and it took a few minutes for him to be called up to the monitor. After a good look, he made a decision and called for the penalty. Defender Sergio Ramos stepped up to take the penalty and he sent Hugo Gonzalez diving to his left and he slotted the ball to the right.
After this goal both teams made changes as the game looked more open than it had in the first half. The goal also helped give momentum to Rayados who moved more aggressively into Toulca’s box. However, the home side defense continued to hold onto their lead. In the 65th minute it looked like Toluca was going to extend their lead when they were awarded a foul close to the box. Pereira was able to jump up and head the ball towards the net but it went just a bit wide. This missed chance by Toluca came to bite them as Monterrey had a goal of their own. Sergio Canales started the play on the right side. The home side was able to initially get the ball out but only for so long. Right outside of the box Fimbrez fell as he kicked the ball into the box where German Berterame was there to take a shot. The ball hit the post and Roberto de la Rosa was there to send the rebound into the back of the net. After taking a look, VAR confirmed the goal and this goal tied up the match on aggregate at 3-3.
With this goal Monterrey now had a huge lifeline and were close to making a comeback as they only needed one goal to win the game and make it to the final. With the final in their reach the Rayados pushed and pushed against the Toluca defense who were now just trying to defend for their lives. The visitors were awarded a corner kick that Canales stepped up to take. The Spaniard sent the ball in the middle of the box where Antonio Briseño and Gonzalez both jumped out to hit the ball out and were lucky that the miscommunication did not go wrong. Gerardo Arteaga then got on the rebounded ball that he sent back to the box towards the net but it went too wide and hit the post. Then on the other side Ramos made a big mistake that his fellow defenders had to get him out of and were lucky no red shirt was around to get the ball. A minute later Toluca had another chance to put the nail in the coffin when Castro found himself with an open angle to shoot but Cardenas was able to make a stop at the line. With the game into stoppage time Monterrey were against their backs as Toluca were pushing for a final goal. Castro had the ball near the edge of the box where he sent the ball past Monterrey defenders to get it to Robert Morales who sent the ball into the back of the net but it was called offside. While there were two minutes left of the game there wasn’t anything left for Rayados to do as Toluca closed out the game to make their second consecutive final. History repeated itself as Monterrey once again crashed out and failed to secure their sixth title.
