Monterrey's Rayados managed to rise from the ashes when everyone at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes was already celebrating America's great victory, to score the A goal that eliminated America with ten men, knocking the proud Eagles out of the playoffs with a 3-2 aggregate score. A victory pulled out of thin air, combined with America's arrogance. When they managed to tie the aggregate score at 2-2, which would have given them passage to the next phase, they focused on protecting their lead instead of going all out for another goal, giving Monterrey the lifeline to score the miraculous goal that sent the Rayados to the semifinals. German Berterame scored the goal in the 90+4 minute with a header, allowing them to achieve this great victory as visitors and with one less man, when logic indicated an America victory. There was so much talk about the Rayados' lack of heart, and when least expected, they brought it to the surface to eliminate America in a hard-fought duel, finally showingcasing the great ability of a squad with players like Sergio Ramos, Sergio Canales, Oliver Torres, and German Berterame.

A match to match

America's need to overcome the heavy 2-0 deficit from the first leg against Monterrey led the Eagles to go all out in search of a comeback and a chance to pull off the feat.

Thus, after an initial scare when Jesus Corona had a one-on-one opportunity against Luis Malagon, America took control of the game, pressing the Rayados' goal and dominating every corner of the field.

Despite their need to score as soon as possible, America finally managed to do so around the half-hour mark through Alejandro Zendejas with a low shot that calmed the Eagles' momentum in their quest for a comeback.

Rayados' improvement

After conceding the goal, Rayados showed improvement in their performance, simply by pushing their lines forward and getting Sergio Canales further into the attacking third, but this improvement from the Monterrey side couldn't be reflected on the scoreboard,and they went into halftime trailing 1-0.

The Americanista Apotheosis

It was in the second half that America experienced their best moments, outplaying Monterrey with greater style and strength from midfield forward. Jose Zuniga and Rodrigo Aguirre combined better, creating more scoring opportunities. Eventually, in the 58th minute, Jose Zuniga, assisted by Zendejas, made it 2-1, igniting the dreams of the entire America fanbase for a place in the semifinals.

It was then that Alvaro Fidalgo, Erick Sanchez, and especially Alejandro Zendejas emerged, pinning Rayados back in their own half. Incredibly, Rayados seemed to have reappeared. Out of circulation due to the pressure from Club America, where he almost hammered another nail into the coffin for Monterrey when VAR disallowed Jose Zuniga's brace for offside.

The Eagles, in their sin they reaped the punishment

America, after the aggregate draw and with their ticket to the semifinals already secured, committed the sin of not going for more goals. Instead, they started wasting time, trying to be cocky and play with the anxiety of Monterrey, without considering that the visiting team had the men to punish them, as happened in the 90+3 minute when German Berterame left them on the field with their hearts in their mouths by scoring the 2-1 and the goal that secured the 3-2 aggregate victory.

A great play where Berterame managed to finish at the far post, getting behind Kevin Alvarez and placing the ball in the net in a surprising goal that ended the project. Club America players in the 2025 Apertura tournament.

Minute-by-minute coverage

90+7: The match ends with Monterrey, playing with ten men, eliminating America from the playoffs 2-1 (3-2 on aggregate).

90+4: America substitutions: Jonathan dos Santos out, Brian Rodriguez and Victor Davila in

90+2: Goal by German Berterame for Monterrey, playing with ten men, to put America on the brink of elimination with a 3-2 aggregate score (2-2)

88: Yellow card for Luis “Huesos” Reyes of Monterrey

84: America substitutions: Henry Martin and Allan Maximin in place of Jose Zuniga and Alvaro Fidalgo.

83: Red card by Jorge “Corcho” Rodriguez of Monterrey to leave Rayados with ten men and with the semi-final berth against them.

82nd minute: Substitution for Monterrey, Luis Reyes comes in and Gerardo Aretega goes out

79th minute:Yellow card for John Stefan Medina of Monterrey for appealing for a penalty for a handball by the America defense.

74th minute: Substitution for America, Ramon Juarez comes in for Rodrigo Aguirre.

69th minute: VAR disallowed Jose "Pantera" Zuniga's goal,keeping the score at 2-0 (2-2 on aggregate) and sending the Eagles to the semifinals.

64th minute: Substitutions for Monterrey, Fidel Ambriz and Jesus Corona come off, Iker Fimbres and Roberto de la Rosa come on.

61st minute: Sergio Ramos is booked for a foul on Erick "Chiquito" Sanchez.

58th minute: Gooooooal! Jose "Pantera" Zuniga finishes off a great play by Alejandro Zendejas, scoring to make it 2-0 and tie the game at 2-2.

the overall score and now have the pass to the semifinals in the bag.

Minute 52: Yellow card for Israel Reyes of America for foul on Jesus Corona of Monterrey. The aggregate score remains in favor of America.

The second half begins, with America having only 45 minutes to score a goal and tie the aggregate score against Monterrey at 2-1, or say goodbye to the playoffs.

45+4: The first 45 minutes of a spectacular first half end with the score 1-0 in favor of America, but Monterrey maintains its advantage on aggregate heading into the semifinals 2-1.

Minute 40+1: Whew, Monterrey is saved by a tremendous shot from Uruguayan Rodrigo “Bufalo” Aguirre that hits the crossbar, and Monterrey continues to lead the aggregate score 2-1 over America.

Another perspective of the Eagles' goal

This is how America scored their first goal against Monterrey through Alejandro Zendejas.

Minute 31: Sergio Canales He responded and with a shot from outside the area, he nearly beat Luis Malagon, but Malagon managed to make the save and prevent the goal.

29th minute: Goal by Alejandro Zendejas with a left-footed shot from outside the area that beat goalkeeper Luis Cardenas, allowing the ball to enter the goal close to the left post for 1-0.

21st minute: Yellow card for Sebastian Caceres of America for a foul on German Berterame, where coach Andre Jardine strongly protests to referee Cesar Ramos.

12th minute: Luis Mochis Cardenas saved a one-on-one shot from Rodrigo Aguirre to prevent America from scoring the first goal and reducing the deficit. The score remains 0-0.

Minute 1: Uffff, tremendous save by Luis Malagon, America's goalkeeper, who saved the Eagles from a Jesus Corona breakaway in a one-on-one situation. The goalkeeper narrowed the angle well and held on until the last moment, preventing Kevin Alvarez from missing. The match between America and Monterrey kicks off, with the Eagles looking to overturn the 2-0 deficit from last Wednesday's game. The starting eleven for America vs. Monterrey: With Jose Zuniga and Erick Sanchez in the starting lineup, the Eagles take to the field seeking a comeback against Monterrey. Jardine has opted for two center forwards in the attack.Both America and Monterrey have made tactical adjustments to their starting lineups. With the Eagles, Erick Sanchez starts in midfield in place of Chilean defender Igor Lichnovsky, and Jose Zuniga up front in place of Brian Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Monterrey sends Erick Aguirre in for Ricardo Chavez, a like-for-like change in defense. America has high hopes for Luis Malagon. Luis Malagon will have to drastically improve his performance and overcome his indecisiveness if he wants to help America advance to the next stage of the Apertura 2025 playoffs. The Eagles have their sights set on the semifinals. The Eagles players are preparing for their goal of reaching the semifinals. They know they have the DNA needed to pull off the comeback, but they'll have to fight hard for the full 90 minutes.