Club America head coach Gustavo Matosas (left) congratulates Rubens Sambueza after the second leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final on April 29, 2015, in Montreal. (Photo: Mexsport)
MONTREAL – After finding itself down 1-0 to the Impact de Montreal at halftime, Club America exploded for four straight goals to win the second leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final 4-2, capturing the title 5-3 on aggregate.
That outburst on Wednesday equaled the mark established by Monterrey in 2013 for the most goals scored in a SCCL final game. Dario Benedetto led the way with a hat-trick, while Oribe Peralta netted once for his 19th career goal in the competition.
With the pressure of bouncing back from a tense 1-1 draw at home in the series opener obviously eased, Club America head coach Gustavo Matosas was quick to praise his players for the triumph.
“The truth is that it was a very hard game, a very hard series, with all that we faced,” said the 47-year-old. “But what the players did in the second half was extraordinary. It was their match and the players showed the class that they have and, with everything they did in the second half, I am very happy.”
Matosas was handed the Aguilas’ managerial reins in December after leaving Leon. He had led the Esmeraldas to a pair of Liga MX championships, but – ironically – was also in charge when it was eliminated in the group stage from this same edition of the SCCL.
The road traveled by Club America to a record-equaling sixth CONCACAF title was not an easy one. Along the way, it became the first team in SCCL history to overturn a three-goal, first-leg deficit in the semifinals, reversing a 3-0 loss on the road against Herediano and avoiding elimination by posting a 6-0 win at the Estadio Azteca.
“Today is like a relief,” Matosas continued. “The first three months at America are not easy, getting to know the club, adapting to the philosophy, but I want to acknowledge all of the people who gave us support, to the America fans here. You have to enjoy it because you do not get a championship every day and it is always worth it.”
Along with regional bragging rights, Club America secured a place in December’s FIFA Club World Cup. The opportunity to compete in Japan against the best teams in the world is something that Matosas relishes.
“The Club World Cup is the great dream,” finished the former Uruguay international. “It is everybody’s dream. We have spoken internally in the club what it would be for a great team like America to face those great teams.
“Reaching the Club World Cup is fantastic. It’s extraordinary and we are going to compete with the best. It’s very good.”
