It's celebration time "four" Monterrey, who lift the championship trophy after besting Santos Laguna.
A tinge of fear was felt all throughout the city of Monterrey on Sunday night.
The dread wasn't stemming from the home team's locker room, as the Rayados looked loose and confident despite being a goal down. Santos Laguna weren't guilty of the feeling either. They were just 90 minutes away from potentially winning the title.
No, the fear that could be felt throughout the Estadio Tecnologico and beyond came strictly from the side of town that supports UANL Tigres... a team that has gone nearly 30 years without a title, were now dreading the fact that their hated rival could pick up their third in just seven years.
As the two teams took the field, parallels were drawn everywhere: Christian Benitez, the tournament's leading scorer, was the point man for Santos Laguna. On the other side, Humberto Suazo was the man in charge of leading the vaunted Monterrey attack to victory.
The touchline was full of intrigue as well – Victor Manuel Vucetich was going for a fifth league title, with the impressive statistic that explained the fact that Vucetich had never lost a final series. Santos Laguna boss Rubén Omar Romano had reached his share of finals, four counting this one... and had never won a single one.
Pressing with a one-goal lead as a visitor might not have seemed like the most likely strategy, but Romano's Santos did so, and surprised Monterrey for the first 15 minutes of the match. A stingy Rayado defense proved to be too much for Santos, and after a few strong counterattacks, Romano's tactic waned.
As Monterrey gained more confidence going forward, the tide of the match still seemed to favor Santos, as their lethal counterattack could sentence the series at any time. However, the grandeur and talent of the league's best player shined for the home team, and Suazo made it 1-0 for Monterrey, at that moment, sending the match and the fight for the championship to extra time.
Half time produced a tense few minutes coming out of the locker room for both teams, as both felt they had the title within their grasp. Romano backed his team off and decided to wait on Monterrey. Again, the tide of the match shifted and Monterrey gained ground on the visitors.
When Jose Maria Basanta headed the ball past Oswaldo Sanchez to make it 2-0 for Monterrey, there was no turning back. The apparent plays of luck and the history that defined both teams' managers was felt throughout the Tecnologico.
Monterrey, instead of waiting on Santos – pushed harder. The substitutions came from Romano, to no avail. Humberto Suazo was responsible to drive the last nail into the coffin by slamming home a fantastic shot that culminated a wonderful season for both player and club.
The celebration was on. Monterrey almost made it 4-0, but the rout was not to be. When Armando Archundia's whistle blew for the last time in his storied career, the sound meant another end – the end of the Apertura 2010 season and the end of Romano's hopes to end his foul streak.
The dread wasn't stemming from the home team's locker room, as the Rayados looked loose and confident despite being a goal down. Santos Laguna weren't guilty of the feeling either. They were just 90 minutes away from potentially winning the title.
No, the fear that could be felt throughout the Estadio Tecnologico and beyond came strictly from the side of town that supports UANL Tigres... a team that has gone nearly 30 years without a title, were now dreading the fact that their hated rival could pick up their third in just seven years.
As the two teams took the field, parallels were drawn everywhere: Christian Benitez, the tournament's leading scorer, was the point man for Santos Laguna. On the other side, Humberto Suazo was the man in charge of leading the vaunted Monterrey attack to victory.
The touchline was full of intrigue as well – Victor Manuel Vucetich was going for a fifth league title, with the impressive statistic that explained the fact that Vucetich had never lost a final series. Santos Laguna boss Rubén Omar Romano had reached his share of finals, four counting this one... and had never won a single one.
Pressing with a one-goal lead as a visitor might not have seemed like the most likely strategy, but Romano's Santos did so, and surprised Monterrey for the first 15 minutes of the match. A stingy Rayado defense proved to be too much for Santos, and after a few strong counterattacks, Romano's tactic waned.
As Monterrey gained more confidence going forward, the tide of the match still seemed to favor Santos, as their lethal counterattack could sentence the series at any time. However, the grandeur and talent of the league's best player shined for the home team, and Suazo made it 1-0 for Monterrey, at that moment, sending the match and the fight for the championship to extra time.
Half time produced a tense few minutes coming out of the locker room for both teams, as both felt they had the title within their grasp. Romano backed his team off and decided to wait on Monterrey. Again, the tide of the match shifted and Monterrey gained ground on the visitors.
When Jose Maria Basanta headed the ball past Oswaldo Sanchez to make it 2-0 for Monterrey, there was no turning back. The apparent plays of luck and the history that defined both teams' managers was felt throughout the Tecnologico.
Monterrey, instead of waiting on Santos – pushed harder. The substitutions came from Romano, to no avail. Humberto Suazo was responsible to drive the last nail into the coffin by slamming home a fantastic shot that culminated a wonderful season for both player and club.
The celebration was on. Monterrey almost made it 4-0, but the rout was not to be. When Armando Archundia's whistle blew for the last time in his storied career, the sound meant another end – the end of the Apertura 2010 season and the end of Romano's hopes to end his foul streak.
