América finds a tie against Monterrey in a tedious game

An injection of encouragement is what América needed. After being eliminated in the Concachampions in the middle of the week, the Eagles had to find a remedy to heal their wounds, and what better way than by securing their spot in the Liguilla at home against Monterrey.

However, the good momentum with which the Eagles started the tournament did not reappear, and they had to settle for a tedious 0-0 draw against Monterrey.

The Coapa team reached 26 points, and although they are close to the Liguilla, their offensive options are not the best to face the playoffs. The only positive thing for El Piojo in this game was Diego Lainez's great performance; the young player responded with dangerous plays, but he needs a partner to finish them, and the name of Cecilio Domínguez stands out.

LAINEZ, THE STAR

Miguel Herrera was cautious. He didn't want to be surprised by his opponent, so he lined up with five defenders. He needed to assess Rayados' level of approaching, and in less than five minutes, he got the result.

Fearlessly, El Piojo adjusted his team to a backline of four, sacrificing Edson Álvarez, who moved more towards the midfield to start generating from there.

Opportunities started to come for the América team. Andrés Ibargüen, in the 12th minute, had an individual play that he couldn't finish due to the opposition's defense; minutes later, Mateus Uribe tried with a long-distance shot that Hugo González deflected.

Rayados still couldn't be seen, América didn't let their opponent cross the midfield; the visitors attempted long passes, but they were all repelled. It wasn't until the 27th minute that Rayados had a dangerous chance with the arrival of Lucas Albertengo, but his shot didn't cause any damage thanks to Marchesín's timely reaction.

Miguel Herrera trusted Diego Lainez for this game that could secure their spot in the Liguilla. Despite the coach saying that he still has a long way to go, the player confirmed what had been seen in his debut: his great talent.

Diego became a headache for Rayados; whether playing on the left wing or inside, he sought to do damage and frustrated the defense to the point of forcing a yellow card and an expulsion.

At the beginning of the game, Lainez was stopped by Stefan Medina, who was shown a yellow card, and then in the 29th minute, Jesús Molina, in an attempt to stop América's number 34, stepped on him and received a red card. Thus, Diego left Rayados with 10 players after just half an hour and set the stage for his team.

In the 33rd minute, Ibargüen tested González with a shot from the outskirts of the area, but the goalkeeper saved it; a minute later, Lainez sent a shot that hit the side of the goal, and in the 39th minute, he created a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Uribe, but the Colombian failed to finish.

América and Rayados went to halftime with no goals, but there was a controversial play. In stoppage time, a situation similar to the Real Madrid-Juventus penalty occurred, but here the characters were Avilés Hurtado, who received a cross in the area, and Bruno Valdéz, who brought him down from behind. However, referee Jorge Isaac Rojas didn't call anything, leaving the score level.

NOT EVEN WITH NUMERICAL ADVANTAGE

America has struggled with scoring goals. If they wanted to secure their spot in the Liguilla, they had to take advantage of having an extra player on the field and overcome their lack of finishing.

In the second half, nothing changed much. América continued to press, and in the 49th minute, Lainez reached the byline, but the ball went out of bounds.

Something was clear on the field, and it was that América was replicating the game against Toronto on Tuesday. They had possession and chances, but the ball simply wouldn't go in. In the 55th minute, a collective play, originating from a corner kick, ended with Oribe Peralta being called offside.

Rayados was nullified in attack, and once again, the dangerous chance they had came through Albertengo; in the 60th minute, the Argentine tried to surprise with a long-range shot that was deflected by the América defense.

América didn't stop trying with attacks and set pieces; in the 69th minute, Ibargüen shot, but his effort went over the crossbar. Immediately after that, and surprisingly, Rayados counterattacked with Albertengo, who eluded Edson Álvarez's marking but failed to find a good angle to shoot.

The Eagles had the goal at their feet, but their lack of finishing continued to work against them. In the 69th minute, Uribe crossed the ball into the box, and none of his teammates were able to finish; then, from a Lainez pass, Peralta had an opportunity in the area, but the shot went wide.

The score remained unchanged. América concluded another tedious game in which they dominated and created chances but couldn't finish.