Match recap: Monarcas Morelia 3, Santos Laguna 1

After a good first match, Santos Laguna was hoping to follow up with a solid outing against Monarcas. Morelia however was looking to rebound from a difficult loss and was able to capitalize on two penalties, downing the defending champions 3-1.

The first half was mostly a defensive affair. In the fifth minute, Monarcas would get a good chance when Irven Ávila got a header on a cross from within the six yard box but Carlos Acevedo was there to make the stop. Monarcas did well to control the pace of play early, keeping their passes simple and not allowing Santos to counter.

In the sixteenth minute Ávila would have another header, this time off of an Emanuel Loeschbor free kick. Again Acevedo…