The Paraguayan Richard Sánchez scored his most spectacular goal of the year on Sunday to give América a 1-1 draw at home of Rayados de Monterrey, a result enough to crown them champions of the 2024 Apertura tournament in Liga MX.
The Colombian Johan Rojas scored the goal for Monterrey.

Richard Sánchez's masterstroke

With América's consent, Rayados launched an attack and entered the box from the start of the match, though without creating clear goal-scoring opportunities.
Little by little, América took control of the ball and in the 24th minute, they took the lead with a stunning goal from Richard Sánchez, who took advantage of a pass from Alex Zendejas and from outside the box placed the ball into the top corner.
From that moment, Monterrey lost intensity in the first half. Disorganized and lacking ideas, they failed to create danger for goalkeeper Luis Malagón.

Monterrey fights back, but falls short
Monterrey started the second half with an aggregate score of 1-3 against them. Needing to score two goals without conceding to force extra time, the team coached by Argentine manager Martín Demichelis pushed forward and displayed a more offensive approach.
The home team struggled due to their lack of efficiency. In the 49th minute, the Colombian Stefan Medina shot off a pass from the Spaniard Sergio Canales, and in the 74th, Roberto de la Rosa shot wide.
With patience and under the guidance of Brazilian coach Andre Jardine, América waited for a counterattack opportunity. In the 75th minute, the Uruguayan Rodrigo Aguirre was one-on-one with goalkeeper Luis Cárdenas, who managed to keep the ball.
With five minutes left, Monterrey finally capitalized on their dominance. Johan Rojas received a pass from Sergio Canales and with a right-footed shot made it 1-1, leaving Rayados one goal away from forcing extra time.
Fueled by their fans, who finally erupted in support, Rayados gave everything to score the goal they needed to stay alive. In the 88th minute, the Chilean Sebastián Vegas almost managed to do so with a shot that hit the crossbar.
However, América maintained defensive order against a relentless opponent and managed to preserve the draw to claim the 2024 Apertura title.

América, the greatest of Liga MX

With 16 championships in its history, América has now separated itself as the most successful team in Mexican football. They now lead Chivas de Guadalajara by four titles, Toluca by six, and Cruz Azul by seven.

Con 16 campeonatos en su historia, el América se despegó como el equipo más exitoso del fútbol mexicano. Ahora le saca cuatro títulos de ventaja a las Chivas de Guadalajara, seis al Toluca y siete al Cruz Azul.