Monterrey defeats Toluca 1-0 in the first leg of the Liga MX semifinals

Monterrey was able to defeat Toluca at home thanks to a goal by German Berterame in the first half. Toluca’s defense feel asleep for a moment and that was enough for Berterame and Monterrey to attack. In the second half they fell apart and if not for goalkeeper Luis Cardenas, Toluca would have made a comeback in the second half. Now Monterrey will need to play near perfect if they want to win at Toluca’s home at ‘el Infierno’.‘

The first 10 minutes of the game went back and forth as both sides attempted to get control of the game early on. The first big moment in the game was in the 10th minute when Monterrey was awarded a corner. The ball was sent into the box where Toluca was able to head the ball away initially but Gerardo Arteaga got on the stray ball and sent it towards goal but it went wide. A few minutes later and they had another opportunity at goal but the cross into the box was headed out. A minute later Toluca had their first chance at goal as Nicolas Castro made his way up the left flank towards the box where he sent a shot off but it went wide. If Castro would have been more patient he could have passed the ball to the right where he had teammates open. The action then went back and forth for the next 10 minutes until Monterrey had a big chance in front of goal as Arteaga made his way into the box and took a shot that Hugo Gonzalez was able to punch out for a corner. On the subsequent corner German Berterame got his head on the end of the ball but he sent it wide of goal instead. He missed this chance but he wouldn’t miss the next.

Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona was on the right flank as he sent a cross into the box where Berterame was waiting and this time he did not miss as he headed the ball into the net past Gonzalez to open the score. Once again Berterame scored a header just like he did against Club America. The Toluca defense failed to mark Berterame and no matter how many red shirts surrounded the referee to complain, their defense failed. Not even one minute later and Sergio Canales attempted another shot at goal but this time Gonzalez was able to collect the ball easily. Toluca were then given an additional two minutes to equalize the score right before the half but the Monterrey defense held strong and did not allow them to come near the end and Tolcua was going to have to adjust in the second half if they wanted a chance at a comeback.

The first 10 minutes of the second half were all Toluca as they realized they had to get an early goal if they wanted a chance to make a comeback. Paulinho had many of those chances but he wasn’t able to get them on target. Then in the 55th minute Monterrey was delivered a blow as ‘Tecatito’ was sitting in the ground asking for a sub. It wasn’t apparent what his issue was but he was able to walk off the field on his own accord. He was later seen on the bench with a bag of ice on his knee. It was at this moment that Antonio Mohamed made his first change of the night hoping Jesus ‘Canelo’ Angulo would be the spark he needed. The following minute Toluca had a big moment when Jesus Gallardo on the left side sent a cross into the box that Castro got on the end of but Cardenas punched the ball out for a corner. The following corner went nowhere. Minutes later a Cardenas mistake almost led to a goal as Ruiz was waiting in the middle of the box for a ball that Cardenas was not able to hang onto properly. Ruiz was slow to react for the rebound as Cardenas was able to secure the ball and Toluca lost out on a chance in front of goal. Up to this point it had been nothing but Toluca possession and attack. They came from the halftime break with urgency and that showed with all the opportunities they had in front of goal. The Monterrey defense was able to hold on, especially Luis Cardenas. If not for Cardenas, Toluca would have pulled off a comeback with at least three goals. Meanwhile Monterrey struggled to make it to midfield without being dispossessed. The attack-minded Rayados from the first half was nowhere to be seen in the second half. Then the biggest miss of the game came in the 86th minute when Ruiz took a shot at goal that hit the post as a red shirt got on the rebound but Cardenas was able to get the ball out right at the line to save Monterrey at the last moment. The referee gave five minutes at the end but not even that was enough for Toluca to equalize the game as the five minutes came to a close. Toluca may not have been able to equalize in thhis game, but there’s another 90 minutes to play at home where they should be able to take care of business.