Morelia knew their chances were slim.
They came into Thursday's Group A InterLiga matchup against Pachuca at the Home Depot Center with one point and on the verge of elimination from the eight-team tournament.
But Monarcas were not going to waste the opportunity.
Instead, Morelia took a 3-0 win against a Pachuca team that had already clinched a slot in one of Sunday's finals, to help their chances of moving into one of those finals.
"We didn't expect this result," said Monarcas coach Luis Fernando Tena. "The way the team played today, it shows it deserves another chance. We want that chance."
Monarcas finished group play with four points and a plus-two goal differential. A win by Tecos UAG in the nightcap of the doubleheader would eliminate Morelia, but if Toluca can manage to beat or draw with Tecos, Monarcas would move on. Tecos came in Thursday in second place with three points and a minus-one goal differential.
Pachuca earned a spot in the finals after winning their first two group matchups. The Tuzos finished group play with six points.
But Monarcas worried about reaching their own result. Behind a fluid attack led by a trio of youngsters, Morelia got what they desired with goals from Hugo Droguett, Andres Mendoza and Wilson Tiago.
"The way we were playing before tonight, we didn't expect to score this many goals," said Droguett, a 27-year-old Chilean-born striker. "We didn't play good soccer in the first two games, so this is something we really want to appreciate."
Morelia put the game out of reach in the 70th minute when Wilson sent a shot from the mouth of the goal past Moreia goalkeeper Moises Munoz for the final goal of the night.
Wilson took a loose ball that bounced off the back of Miguel Sabah's right leg. It was good timing. Sabah had just subbed in seconds prior to the goal, making his Morelia debut.
There was nothing new about the pin-point passing from Droguett and Hernandez. The duo showed chemistry feeding off each other's movements. It was apparent their time playing together during the previous Apertura tournament paid off.
Droguett scored in the 52nd minute to give Monarcas a 2-0 lead. He sent a an Elias Hernandez rolling pass from right to left into the lower-right corner of the net past Munoz.
Morelia took a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute when Mendoza sneaked past defenders and blasted a Droguett filtered pass into the net.
Despite being corralled by three defenders, Droguett managed to sift a rolling pass to Mendoza just outside the small box. That's where Mendoza sent the right-footed shot past Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero.
The next time the Tuzos touched the ball, they tried to answer with a quick counter attack. Edgar Benitez took a long pass from the midfield and took a shot straight into Munoz' abdomen.
The first half featured less than a handful of scoring opportunities for both teams. The clearest chance for Pachuca came a minute before Mendoza's goal when midfielder Damian Alvarez poked a ball past the Monarcas' defense. But unfortunately for Alvarez, the shot ricocheted off the right post.
Benitez had another opportunity in the 41st minute. This time it wasn't the upright that kept the ball from going in. Munoz blocked Benitez' point-blank shot. Benitez sent the rebound wide right.
A minute later, Ulises Mendivil volleyed a pass to Jaime Correa who brought it down a yard outside the penalty area. Correa cocked and sent the shot zooming inches above the cross bar. That was the final threat of the first half that ended with a Morelia 1-0 lead.
"It was a leveled game between two teams who attack well," Tena said. "But the team that had better accuracy with its shots won. Good thing it was us."
