After watching fellow Interliga Group A member Tigres UANL play to a 2-2 draw with Cruz Azul earlier in the evening at Pizza Hut Park, Necaxa knew what they had to do in the second match of the night against Monterrey -- win.
The Hidro Rayos did just that, prevailing 3-2 in a hard-fought back-and-forth affair, a victory that landed them a berth in the InterLiga finals next weekend at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Necaxa got a pair of goals from Brazilian forward Kleber Boas, who found the back of the net for the second straight game. Boas first scored in the 39th minute and again found the scoring column in the 50th minute off a perfectly-placed free kick that beat an outstretched Jonathan Orozco, Monterrey's goalkeeper.
To their credit, Monterrey hung tough, leveling the match just one minute after Boas' first goal off a tally in the 40th minute by Jesus Arellano. After going down again, the Rayados leveled the match off a penalty kick by Luis Perez in the 70th minute.
And for much of the second frame, Los Rayados controlled the flow of play save for Boas' second goal of the night, which came in the 50th minute, and the clincher, scored by Alfredo Moreno in the 78th minute.
While Necaxa is assured of a berth in next weekend's finals, Monterrey have been eliminated. They're rooted to the bottom of the Group A table with zero points after two losses.
Necaxa Technical Director Jose Luis Trejo was clearly overjoyed, not just with the result of tonight's hotly-contested match, but also with the evening in general.
"It was an attractive match, fun to play and fun to watch as well," Trejo said. "It was the best game that both teams have played."
By securing a berth in next weekend's InterLiga finals in L.A., the Hidro Rayos have done so for the first time in two InterLiga appearances.
Boas, who now has three goals in two games in this year's event, was ecstatic about his side's victory.
"We got the three points," he said. "Now, we look to our next match against Tigres (on Wednesday) and then to the final match. I hope we keep playing the way we are playing and can obtain that Copa Libertadores ticket."
Necaxa will play Tigres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at The Home Depot Center to close out Group A play and determine which of next weekend's games each club will advance to. Monterrey, which fell in the 2006 InterLiga final by a 2-1 margin to their crosstown rivals Tigres, will finish their tournament against Cruz Azul on Wednesday at 11:15 p.m., also at The Home Depot Center. Both matches will be televised by Fox Sports Espanol with the second also being aired by Futbol de Primera.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the tournament organizers or clubs.
