ISSUE CONCACAF.com
11
APR/MAY
2015
CLUB AMERICA WINS SCOTIABANK CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE April 29 – Montreal Dario Benedetto scored a hat-trick to help Club America to a 4-2 victory over Impact de Montreal in the second leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final and win the title 5-3 on aggregate. Oribe Peralta also scored for the Aguilas, who won their first SCCL title and tied fellow Mexico City-side Cruz Azul atop the continental ranks with their sixth overall CONCACAF club championship. Andres Romero netted early for Montreal, playing the second leg before a home crowd of more than 61,004 at the Stade Olympique. Jack McInerney added a consolation goal late for the Canadian side, and Ignacio Piatti had two assists. Benedetto and Peralta finished as the competition’s joint-top scorers with seven
goals each. Romero’s eighth minute goal gave Montreal the halftime lead, but Benedetto equalized with the first goal of his evening just five minutes into the second half. America then scored twice in two minutes to take a commanding lead. In the 64th minute, Quintero reached Rubens Sambueza’s cross and headed it back across the goal, where Peralta nodded it in from close range.
Then in a 66th-minute counterattack, Benedetto extended his leg to knock in Miguel Samudio’s curling cross to make it 3-1 for the visitors. Benedetto added his third on a strike into the top left corner from the edge of the penalty area in the 81st minute. McInerney pulled Montreal within 4-2 on the night in the 88th minute after taking Piatti’s pass and driving a low finish beyond goalkeeper Moises Munoz.
With its triumph in the Finals, Club America has now earned the right to represent CONCACAF at the FIFA World Club, to be played this December in Japan.