Morelia were just one goal away from pulling off an incredible upset at the Estadio Azteca. America had defeated Morelia 2-0 in the first leg of this quarterfinal at the Estadio Morelos. Thus, Morelia needed to defeat America by a score of 3-1 (or any score where they win by a 2+ goal margin and score more than 3 goals).
A mistake in the first minute of the match by Aquivaldo Mosquera allowed Joao Rojas to score an easy goal that put Morelia ahead 1-0. Raul Alonso Jimenez scored the 1-1 goal for America in the 39th minute, momentarily keeping everyone calm on the Americanista bench. However, Miguel Sabah scored a fantastic goal in the 41st minute, putting Morelia just one more goal away from clinching a spot in the semifinal.
The second half saw Morelia pull forward with all of its players, while America fell back and looked for counterattacking opportunities. This style of play allowed for a very exciting match, as both teams had several scoring opportunities. The clearest chance came late in the game, when Carlos Ochoa couldn’t score a shot from just a few feet away from the net.
America held on for the win, and will now await the results of the other quarterfinal matches to see who they will face off against. Although happy for the aggregate win, America fans should worry about the poor display their team had today, almost the entire team appeared nervous and committed mistakes throughout the match.
Enjoy the America 1-2 Morelia highlights:
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