Tonight's home team brushed off América in the semis, a straightforward 2-0 in a torrential storm seeing them prevail after a largely uneventful scoreless draw in the Azteca three days earlier. Basanta and De Nigris got the goals to clinch it. Far more exciting and entertaining was the other semi, between Santos and Monterrey's neighbours and erstwhile defending champions Tigres. The first leg was fairly drawn 1-1, but the real excitement came in the return game on Sunday.
The Chilean Héctor Mancilla put the visiting Tigres 2-0 up and cruising by the 27th minute, the first a well directed header and the second a low shot from the left after dumping Santos' Panamanian defender Felipe Baloy on his arse with a clever change of pace and direction. The match seemed over as a spectacle, and when the usually reliable Lucas Lobos hit a post from point blank range with three quarters of the game gone it didn't seem to matter - it was always going to struggle for excitement after the crazy events of earlier that day in the north of England. Or was it?
In the last four minutes Darwin Quintero twice found striking partner Oribe Peralta with excellent through balls which Peralta was able to convert. Like Mancilla in the same net in the first half a header then with two minutes remaining a left foot shot sealed the tie. The 3-3 aggregate score was enough for Santos to go through, and continue their quest to defy the curse of the superlider.
Monterrey are my favourites, however, they've yet to really get into top gear, whereas Santos have had to play their hearts out to get this far. My prediction for tonight is a 3-1 victory for Los Rayados, with Chupete Suazo amongst the scorers.
Ian
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