CARSON, Calif. - Through the InterLiga 2007 group stage, Necaxa had played the best soccer of any club.
Necaxa's seven goals were the most among any team, striker Kleber Boas was tied for most goals with three and Necaxa won all three games, the first team in tournament history to turn the trick.
Necaxa translated that success into a ticket to Copa Libertadores. Behind Kleber's fourth goal of the tournament, Necaxa beat Jaguares 1-0 in the first InterLiga match at Home Depot Center on Saturday. By doing so, Necaxa qualified into the South American club tournament as Mexico 2 and will play Sao Paulo of Brazil, Audax Italiano of Chile and Alianza Lima of Peru in Group 2.
"We have a good team here and we deserved to go through to Libertadores directly," Necaxa defender Pablo Quattrocchi said.
With the victory, Necaxa qualified for Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history. The club came close to reaching the tournament in 1999 but Necaxa could not get of the preliminary round. Now, the club needn't worry about any preliminary round.
Players talked about the joy they felt for their fans at home and how meaningful it would be for Copa Libertadores to be played in Aguascalientes.
"This club is indebted to the people of Aguascalientes," Necaxa defender Joaquin Beltran said. "Getting into Libertadores is a good start to the year. We just need to defend our home well and perform to our abilities in both tournaments and we'll be fine."
On the other side, Jaguares coach Eduardo "Yayo" De La Torre said he was disappointed his own following back at home would not be able to play host to South America's finest.
"It's sad because the front office has put in a lot of effort and it would have been nice to take an international tournament to Chiapas," De La Torre said. "It would have been a very important accomplishment for this team and that's why I'm sad. But I can walk away with my head held high because we put forth a good effort."
Jaguares controlled most of the game. In the second half, it was Jaguares who held possession throughout, threatened the Necaxa goal and kept the red-clad defenders on their heels.
The only problem was that Jaguares played from behind. Kleber put Necaxa atop with a lethal strike from just inside the penalty area in the 39th minute. Afterward, however, Necaxa struggled to gain its momentum back.
"It cost us a lot of work to get the ball and even when we did have it we couldn't string more than three passes together," Beltran said. "We maintained our concentration and maintained the lead and we continued our solid play during this tournament."
Necaxa had tried to counter Jaguares in the second half but it never really came to fruition.
"They attacked often during stretches of time and we couldn't really get our counterattacks going," Quattrocchi said. "They continued to throw a lot of numbers forward and they do have some capable players. We did well to withstand their pressure, however."
It is that strong effort that gives De La Torre hope for the upcoming season, which will open with a match against this same Necaxa squad on Jan. 20 in Aguascalientes' Estadio Victoria.
"Aside from the second half of the America game, I thought we did well. I am confident we will be a strong team that will do well in league," he said. "The work we've put in over the last six months will pay off this season."
For Necaxa, the thought of playing against a club as illustrious as Sao Paulo did not immediately sink in.
"For now, we'll celebrate and try to rest up a little bit and then get ready for Jaguares again," Quattrocchi said.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the tournament's organizers or clubs.
