Monterrey Land Spot in the Liguilla with 2-0 Win over Atlas

Monterrey hosted Atlas FC at home at BBVA Stadium for the last week of the regular Liga MX Apertura season. Atlas coming into the game was already eliminated from playoff contention, but Monterrey was in full control of their own playoff destiny. A win would land them a spot in the Liguilla, a loss would leave them at the mercy of what Pumas, Pachuca and even Chivas would do in their respective games.

With this in mind, Monterrey came into the game with the full intention of securing that last liguilla spot. It wouldn’t take long for them to begin moving in that direction. In the 8th minute of play Rogelio Funes Mori added to his goal scoring tally when he connected with a Jesus Gallardo pass to give Monterrey the early lead. At the individual level, this goal brought Funes Mori even with the legendary Mario de Souza “Bahia” for 2nd all time leading team goal scorer.

Shortly after, Funes Mori would further cement Monterrey’s chances of making the liguilla with his second goal of the night. A free kick taken by Dorlan Pabón at the 12th minute found its way to Funes Mori who would easily header it in for the 2-0. This goal would squarely put Funes Mori in 2nd place on the list of Monterrey’s all time goal scorers, with 97 goals scored across all competitions. The other Monterrey player ahead of him? That spot belongs to the near mythical Chilean striker, Humberto “El Chupete” Suazo.

After this early deficit, Atlas was unable to bounce back and recover. With the win, Monterrey secured the 8th and final spot of the Liguilla, making their playoff rival none other than this tournaments super líder, Santos Laguna.