In the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup from the first round, Club de Fútbol Monterrey hosted Xelajú. Monterrey took on the task of winning at home after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, and they succeeded with a decisive 2-0 triumph. The goals were scored by Lucas Ocampos and Iker Fimbres.
Without putting on a strong show, Monterrey just did their job. They defeated Xelajú 2-0 in the second leg of the first round to make it 3-1 overall and advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.
The Monterrey team dominated the game from the beginning against a team that chose to sit back and try to contain their opponents rather than even attempt to attack the host team’s goal.
The score stayed level as Monterrey battled the Guatemalan team’s defensive wall, launching a few risky assaults that ultimately failed.
Rayados’ perseverance paid off in the 32nd minute when Sergio Canales found Anthony Martial on the right flank with a pass, giving them a 1-0 lead. Iker Fimbres was there to tap the striker’s cross into the goal.
After receiving the ball within the box and firing a shot, Uros Durdevic came close to doubling the lead, but goalkeeper Rubén Darío Silva intervened quickly to keep his team from giving up.
Xelajú attempted to react, pressing forward to try and score against Santiago Mele, knowing that winning was their last chance, but they posed no threat offensively.
Even though Monterrey wasn’t playing at its best, it was still able to control the game against the Central American team, which was still having trouble responding.
As the minutes passed, the tourists’ optimism waned. They put up effort, but wasted the few opportunities they generated and fell behind.
In the closing moments, Monterrey still had two clear chances—one with Anthony Martial and another with Oliver Torres—but they were unable to find the finishing touch, and the opportunities were lost. But Lucas Ocampos scored a penalty kick in the 83rd minute to make it 2-0. Following that, Monterrey won, and the score stayed the same.
La Fiera, who are going through a new period under Ignacio Ambriz and have greatly strengthened their squad in various areas, will play Rayados on Valentine’s Day. However, they have only achieved three points thus far after one win, one draw, and one loss. Los Esmeraldas lost 2-1 the previous time they came to the Estadio BBVA Bancomer.
To try to steal points from Tigres, who shocked everyone by crushing Santos Laguna 4-0 in the first game of Week 4, Monterrey will have to travel to Ciudad Universitaria. Together with Chivas and Toluca, Rayados and Efraín Juárez’s team are one of the tournament’s four unbeaten teams. It is unclear, though, if they will continue to hold that position by the end of this week.
In the most recent Clásico Regio, Tigres UANL and Rayados de Monterrey played to a 1-1 draw at BBVA Stadium. The derby is always a different kind of game, and both clubs will undoubtedly approach it as such, regardless of the points and goals they had during the season.
