With four unanswered goals, LigaMX’s Toluca brushed MLS’s LAFC aside winning their Champions Cup semi-final series 5-2 on aggregate and setting up an all-Mexico final against Tigres UANL.
The win further cements Mexican club dominance of Concacaf’s top tier club competition. The final on May 30 will the 12th all-LigaMX final since 2029. Mexican clubs have won 19 of the last 20 Champions Cup titles.
Toluca will have home advantage for the Champions Cup Final. It is the first time they have been in the final since finishing runners-up in the 2013/14 edition and will be their sixth appearance in the final overall as they chase a third win.
LAFC arrived in Toluca with a one goal lead on aggregate, and early on came close to doubling it with back-to-back opportunities in the 8th minute. Toluca goalkeeper Luis García made a key save to deny Denis Bouanga, before Timothy Tillman was wide of the crossbar on the rebound.
Toluca were shaken into an action. Marcel Ruiz forced Lloris to tip a long-range effort on to the post as Toluca turned the screw. Lloris made another sublime save minutes later, before Nicolás Castro struck an effort of the woodwork.
Toluca were unable to find a break through as half time arrived scoreless.
But that scoreline wasn’t to last for long. A 49th minute penalty from Helinho opened the door for the Mexican hosts on the evening, with Everado López giving Toluca the aggregate lead nine minutes later with a rifled left footed effort that left Hugo Lloris stranded.
Marc Dos Santos went to his bench immediately, bringing on David Martínez for Tillman, Steven Eustáquio for Mathieu Choinière in the 59th minute, then Ivan Smoliakov and Jeremy Ebobisse 15 minutes later. Nothing worked. Toluca rotated their own legs, comfortably in control, and rarely threatened. Hugo Lloris kept making saves as the rest of the LAFC kept losing duels.
Toluca effectively had the tie sealed in the 86th minute. Ryan Porteous, already booked in the 38th, was given a straight red four minutes from time. LAFC were down to ten, down two goals, with the clock against them, and in a stadium that smelled blood.
Paulinho twisted the knife with a tap-in two minutes into added time, before completing the rout two minutes later with a cannoned left-footed strike into the roof of the net.
LAFC fielded Lloris, Son Heung-min, and Bouanga – a serious roster that was ultimately embarrassed. While at the quarter final stage of this season’s Champions Cup it looked like LigaMX and their clubs’ vice-like grip on the Champions Cup might be coming to an end, ultimately they rallied, though aided in most cases by the advantage of home stadiums for the second leg.
For all their posturing and talk of big money franchises, MLS and its clubs need to rethink as they were once again a distant second best to their arch rivals LigaMX when it counted.
Champions Cup semi-final. Toluca 4 – LAFC 0 (5-2 on aggregate)