The second leg of the Club America vs Toluca Liga MX semifinal held at the Estadio Azteca ended in a 2-0 victory for Club America. With this score, America won the semifinal series with an aggregate score of 3-2, and will have a chance at winning back-to-back Liga MX titles: El Bicampeonato.
Miguel Herrera decided to use the same lineup he utilized in the first leg of this semifinal series, his typical 5-3-2 formation. Cardozo opted to use a squad without Sinha in the starting lineup, the aging playmaker wouldn’t make an appearance until late in the second half.
Club America was dominating the match early on, creating plenty of scoring opportunities through probing attacks from its wing-backs, specifically from Miguel Layun. The first goal of the match would come from Aquivaldo Mosquera. who scored off a Sambueza cross in the 12th minute. The rest of the first half would provide a couple of scoring opportunities for Club America, but it was tight overall.
During the second half, America would once again go on to dominate possession, limiting Toluca to very few scoring opportunities. With 25 minutes left in the match, and the score still 1-0 against Toluca, Cardozo finally resolved to use his last sub to bring in Sinha.
Unfortunately for Toluca, Sinha did not provide the offensive clarity they needed, Club America was quick to close him down every time he held the ball, thus limiting his play-making abilities. In fact, it was Club America who would add to the score, effectively sealing the victory.
On the 84th minute Jesus Antonio Molina scored off a corner kick, giving Club America a solid 2-0, which meant Toluca would have to score twice to win on aggregate. Toluca fell far short of that, and America held off for the aggregate 3-2 victory. It is important to mention that Sinha was red carded for a harsh foul on Layun late in the match.
With the victory, Club America secured a ticket to the Liga MX final. The first leg will be held next Thursday, at the stadium of the winner between the Leon and Santos semifinal. The return leg will be held at the Estadio Azteca. That match will be Herrera’s last match before he officially becomes the Mexican National Team head coach. If America can win the Apertura 2013 title, it will become just the second team since the short tournaments were enacted in 1996, to win two championships in a row.
