Liga MX Apertura 2014 Championship: Club America Wins 12th Title Defeating Tigres
Club America won the Liga MX Apertura title, defeating Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) on Sunday and earning their 12th record Liga MX championship in a second leg game that can be best described as chippy.
Tigres' chances of winning the Liga MX title looked good after Thursday's first leg at Estadio Universitario when UANL forward Joffre Guerrón headed Damian Alvarez's cross past America keeper Moises Munoz in the 64th minute to give UANL the 1-0 victory heading into Sunday's game at Estadio Azteca.
But things went downhill for UANL in the 36th minute of the second leg match when Michael Arroyo beat the Tigres' defense and blasted a shot past keeper Nahuel Guzmán from an extremely difficult angle to go up 1-0 on UANL (1-1 aggregate). Pablo Aguilar would score the second goal for "Las Aguilas", heading Rubens Sambueza's free kick into the net to make the score 2-0 (2-1 aggregate).
It would get worse for Tigres from that point forward. Tigres midfielder Hernán Burbano, who came in as a substitute in the 63rd minute, picked up a red card a minute later after mauling Miguel Layún, who had beaten the UANL defense on a breakaway, putting the team a man down. Alvarez would pick up another red card for UANL after swinging at Ventura Alvarado in the 67th minute, leaving Tigres in a 11-on-nine situation. Guzmán would join teammates Burbano and Alvarado in the locker room in the 72nd minute when he kicked an America attacker to pick up his second yellow card of the match, leaving UANL three men down.
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Oribe Peralta would end any hopes of an UANL comeback, blasting a shot from outside the box in the 78th minute past backup Tigres keeper Enrique Palos Reyes to seal America's Apertura 2014 Liguilla championship.
Despite winning the Liga MX Apertura championship, America head coach Antonio Mohamed is headed to the unemployment line after club owners refused to renew his contract. Team owners hired a new coach, former León head coach Gustavo Matosas to replace Mohamed, going behind "El Turco's" back and failing to inform him he was being let go by the club.
"Like I said three weeks ago, I will leave the trophy here but I leave for home with my dignity," said Mohamed to reporters after the game.
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