Monterrey fell to Santos Laguna in the 2012 Mexican Clausura championship, so playing with added motivation entering this season's Liga MX playoffs wasn't a problem.
With an extreme build-up as they moved toward the first leg of their 2013 semifinal series with Club America, Monterrey knew they'd be in for a battle and that's exactly what they got from the 10-time league champion, with the first leg ending in a 2-2 draw.
The semifinal series will resume with the second leg on Saturday, May 18 at 6 p.m., EDT. An on-line live stream will be available by following this link.
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The first leg started off in perfect fashion for Monterrey as they were the first team to crack the scoring column.
In the 29th-minute, Humberto Suazo popped his shot through from the top of the box, putting Monterrey up 1-0 and giving them the early advantage in front of 32,000 at the Estadio Tecnologico.
Not to be outdone, America responded at the 51-minute mark when scoring phenom Christian Benitez sent his shot attempt past Monterrey goalie Juan Ibarra, tying the game at 1. Benitez was the league leader in goals entering the semifinal so it came as no surprise to all those watching that he got involved in the scoring.
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Benitez added another 19 minutes later from in front of the net, giving America a crucial 2-1 lead as the match came down the final stretch.
While Benitez is an extremely gifted talent who has guided America this season, Aldo De Nigris came through in a big way for Monterrey just when they needed it the most.
Three minutes after Benitez put America in front, De Nigris was able to send a shot of his own between the pipes, tying the game at 2 and giving Monterrey a sigh of relief. A draw is significantly better than falling in the opening league to a team that has shown the ability to win championships over the course of its great history.
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Whoever advances out of this semifinal will meet the winner of Cruz Azul and defending champion Santos Laguna in the 2013 Mexican Clausura final. Azul disposed of Santos in the first leg of their series 3-0.
The first leg of the Mexican Clausura semifinals certainly did not disappoint.
Be sure to catch all the action from Leg 2 between Monterrey and Club America on Saturday, May 18 at 6 p.m. An on-line live stream will be available by following this link.
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