Monterrey won its third consecutive CONCACAF Champions League crown following a come-from-behind 4-2 triumph over Santos Laguna on Wednesday evening.
The tie was delicately poised after a scoreless draw in the first leg and things looked bleak for the holders when they went down 2-0. However, four goals in the final 30 minutes secured Monterrey’s third straight title.
Santos came out strong and thought it had opened the scoring in the 32nd minute but Rafael Figueroa’s header was ruled out for offside.
But Santos would not be denied and deservedly grabbed the lead when Carlos Darwin Quintero beat Monterrey goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco from close range in the 38th minute.
It was exactly the kind of start the visitors were looking for and they were over the moon to be taking a 1-0 lead into the half-time interval.
Santos then doubled its advantage when Felipe Baloy’s header found the bottom corner five minutes after the break.
The home side looked done and dusted but cut the deficit in half as Aldo De Nigris redirected Jesus Corona’s pinpoint pass at the hour mark.
Neri Cardozo then sent the home fans into raptures when he unleashed a shot from the top of the penalty area that tied the game up in the 84th minute.
The score was now 2-2 on both the night and aggregate, setting up a grandstand finish.
Monterrey completed the comeback just three minutes from time when De Nigris made no mistake from close range to give the hosts a 3-2 lead.
Alberto Suazo added an insurance goal in injury time when he finished off a lightning fast counterattack to put the game to bed much to the delight of the home supporters.
Monterrey has won the CONCACAF Champions League for the third consecutive season and will now play in the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held in Morocco in December.
