CONCACAF Champions League: Alajuelense sets up giant finale vs. America

The CONCACAF Champions League group stage has been a bit of a dud thus far, with sloppy play and insignificant matches marring the region’s preeminent club tournament, but the final matchday is set for some drama, thanks to Alajuelense. The Costa Rican club has forced a huge group stage capper against Club America at Estadio Azteca, where the winner will advance to the quarterfinals and the loser will see their tournament come to a close.

Sporting shocked Alajuelense on matchday two, coming away with a 1-0 win at home, but they were completely outclassed in the return match. The Costa Rican side dominated the match from the start and while it took until the 62nd minute for Jerry Palacios to finally put Alajuelense in front, there was no doubt that it was deserved. Not long after, Alejandro Alpizar doubled the Costa Ricans’ lead and they were well on their way to three points.

The Galaxy’s first away match of the Champions League proved to be their best performance of the competition and this despite not starting a single first choice player. It was the reserves who got the chance to impress in Costa Rica and impress they did, pounding Cartagines with three first half goals to cruise to victory.

It was a dominant performance for the Galaxy, who clinched Group 8 with the win. They have one match left, a trip to Isidro Metapan, but with a five-point lead in the group, it doesn’t mean a thing. They are quarterfinals-bound.

Three groups will head into the final day with first place and a spot in the quarterfinals on the line after nobody managed to clinch on Tuesday night. Heredia could have sealed their spot in the knockout stages with just a draw, but they couldn’t manage that, while Olimpia won to set up a winner-take-all contest on the final matchday. Cruz Azul couldn’t win their group on Tuesday, but they did win their match to take control of their triplet.

The loss was a killer for Heredia, who had several chances to get level after going down a goal, but couldn’t find an equalizer. In the end, though, Montreal got a deserved win, especially after dominating the second half, and now Heredia finds themselves set for a trip to San Jose to take on the Earthquakes on the final matchday needing a draw to advance. If they lose, their Champions League campaign is done and they will be left to rue their missed opportunities, first in Montreal and then in San Jose, where just a draw would see them book their place in the knockout stages.