Rayados makes a fool of himself and is eliminated by Columbus

The American Columbus Crew, current MLS champion, broke all the odds last night and defeated Rayados de Monterrey 1-3 at home to qualify for the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

SCORERS

Aidan Morris, the Uruguayan Diego Rossi and the Canadian Jacen Russell-Rowe scored for Crew, who won 2-1 in the first leg of the semifinal at home and this Wednesday went to the Monterrey stadium to seal the series by a total score of 2-5, in the second leg. The Ukrainian Yevhen Cheberko, with an own goal, put the Rayados ahead.

In the 11th minute, the Argentine Jorge Rodríguez sent a deep cross into the area that his compatriot Maximiliano Meza captured to hit the crossbar and in an attempt to clear it, Cheberko sent it into his frame for the 1-0 that ignited the illusions of the Monterrey fans who took over the modern stadium.

When it seemed that Monterrey had the game and the series in its bag, in first-half stoppage time, an attempt by the Argentine Esteban Andrada, Monterrey’s goalkeeper, led to the Crew’s comeback with a goal from Morris’s crescent, for 1-1.

In the second half, the Americans sealed their place in the final with a filtered pass from Romanian Alexandru Matan that Rossi converted with his left foot into the 1-2 scoreline that left the Rayados on the canvas.

Monterrey tried to get into the series with continuous attempts at the opposing goal, but Patrick Schulte, Columbus goalkeeper, rejected shots from the Spanish Sergio Canales, in the 68th, and from Brandon Vázquez, in the 72nd, to sign the pass to the duel for the title to his team, which will seek its first crown at the international level.

Matru added his second assist of the game in the 89th, now on a counterattack, which allowed Jacen Russell-Rowe to score 1-3; The Crew still allowed themselves to miss a penalty in stoppage time.

The MLS champion will face in the final, in which Concacaf’s last ticket to the Club World Cup will be at stake, the Tuzos del Pachuca, who last Tuesday dispatched the Águilas del América, Mexican soccer champions.