Atlas's cunning proved more effective in taking advantage of a mistake by Uruguayan defender Sebastian Caceres than the Eagles' persistence in 90 minutes of a duel where the Rojinegros ended up defeating the Aguilas 0-1 to qualify for the playoffs and, in the process, relegate America to eighth place, where they will face Pumas in the finals. Atlas, with the victory, broke a nine-year winless streak at Estadio Banorte (Azteca) after their last win in the Clausura 2017 tournament, when they prevailed 1-2 on matchday 17 of that championship. It was the worst-case scenario that the team managed by Brazilian Andre Jardine had considered, as they never imagined that in stoppage time, Uruguayan Sebastian Caceres would make the mistake that opened the door for Alfonso “Ponchito” Gonzalez, who would end up leaving the proud Azulcremas lying on the field. America had the opportunity to open the scoring from the penalty spot, but they couldn't even capitalize on that on this rainy night. At the Banorte (Azteca) stadium, Brazilian Raphael Veiga was overly cautious and ended up practically handing the ball to Colombian international Camilo Vargas. It was such a resounding blow that on the field, after Gonzalez had shaken off two defenders, he managed to shoot at the goal defended by Rodolfo Cota, who couldn't prevent the well-placed shot from doing the damage the Atlas player expected. That was the final straw, as America only had a few more minutes to at least manage a draw that would allow them to remain in fifth place in the overall standings, but the weight of the result dropped them to eighth place, and Atlas took their place with 26 points in sixth, leaving Tigres in seventh and the proud Eagles in eighth. Earlier, America regretted not knowing how to finish off the Red and Blacks. They repeatedly attacked Camilo Vargas's goal, only to fall short due to a lack of creativity from their attacking players: Raphael Veiga, Erick Sanchez, Alejandro Zendejas, and Brian Rodriguez, later joined by Patricio Salas, Henry Martin, and Jose "Pantera" Zuniga. Atlas, meanwhile, set up a staggered, zonal defense,making it nearly impossible for America to exploit dangerous areas and score against the Rojinegros. This resulted in a bitter defeat for the Americanistas.