2015 CONCACAF Champions League final explained

2015 CONCACAF Champions League final
Event:2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
Team1:América
Team1association:
Team1score:5
Team2:Montreal Impact
Team2association:
Team2score:3
Details:on aggregate
Firstleg:First leg
Team1score1:1
Team2score1:1
Date1:22 April 2015
Stadium1:Estadio Azteca
City1:Mexico City
Referee1:Héctor Rodríguez (Honduras)
Attendance1:56,783
Secondleg:Second leg
Team1score2:4
Team2score2:2
Date2:29 April 2015
Stadium2:Olympic Stadium
City2:Montreal
Referee2:Henry Bejarano (Costa Rica)
Attendance2:61,004
Previous:2014
Next:2016

The 2015 CONCACAF Champions League final was the final of the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, the 7th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 50th edition of the premium football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Mexico's América and Canada's Montreal Impact. The first leg was hosted by América at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 22 April 2015, while the second leg was hosted by the Montreal Impact at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on 29 April 2015.[1] The winner earned the right to represent CONCACAF at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the quarterfinal stage.[2]

After a 1–1 first leg, América won the second leg 4–2 to win their sixth overall CONCACAF club title.

Background

For only the second time in seven seasons of the CONCACAF Champions League, the final featured a non-Mexican team, with the only previous occasion where it was not an all-Mexican final being in 2011, where Real Salt Lake lost to Monterrey.[3] [4]

This was the first final of América in the CONCACAF Champions League era, but they had won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup title five times (1977, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2006). They were aiming to equal Cruz Azul's record of six CONCACAF club titles which was set in 2014's final.

Montreal Impact was the first Canadian team to reach a CONCACAF club final. They were aiming to become the first non-Mexican team to win in the CONCACAF Champions League era, and the third Major League Soccer team to win the CONCACAF club title after D.C. United (1998) and LA Galaxy (2000).

Road to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

AméricaRound Montreal Impact
OpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResult
ByeMatchday 1 FAS1–0 (H)
Puerto Rico Bayamón6–1 (H)Matchday 2 FAS3–2 (A)
Comunicaciones1–1 (A)Matchday 3Bye
Puerto Rico Bayamón10–1 (A)Matchday 4 New York Red Bulls1–0 (H)
ByeMatchday 5Bye
Comunicaciones2–0 (H)Matchday 6 New York Red Bulls1–1 (A)
Group 8 winnerFinal standingsGroup 3 winner
OpponentAgg.1st leg2nd legChampionship stageOpponentAgg.1st leg2nd leg
Saprissa5–03–0 (A)2–0 (H)Quarterfinals Pachuca3–3 (a)2–2 (A)1–1 (H)
Herediano6–30–3 (A)6–0 (H)Semifinals Alajuelense4–4 (a)2–0 (H)2–4 (A)

Rules

The final was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule would be used if the aggregate score was level after normal time of the second leg, but not after extra time, and so the final would be decided by penalty shoot-out if the aggregate score was level after extra time of the second leg.[2]

Matches

First leg

Montreal Impact took the lead in the 16th minute after Ignacio Piatti received a pass from Dominic Oduro to shoot home inside the penalty area. América equalized in the 89th minute, as half-time substitute Oribe Peralta, who was subbed on for Martinez, headed in Rubens Sambueza's free kick. Shortly after the equalizer, Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball Paul Aguilar, however, replays show that Aguilar jumped in front of the ball as Bush was kicking it away. Aguilar then proceeded to punch Bush in the face, which went unpunished. This yellow card was crucial, as it suspended Bush for the second leg of the final.[5] [6] [7]

valign=top width=50%
width=25!width=25
GK 23 Moisés Muñoz
DF 22
DF 4 Erik Pimentel
DF 12 Pablo Aguilar
DF 6 Miguel Samudio
MF 5
MF 10
MF 11 Michael Arroyo
MF 14 Rubens Sambueza (c)
FW 3 Darwin Quintero
FW 9
Substitutions:
GK 1 Hugo González
MF 8 Moisés Velasco
DF 15 Osmar Mares
MF 21
FW 24
FW 28
DF 30 Zaid Veyna
Manager:
Gustavo Matosas
valign=topvalign=top width=50%
width=25!width=25
GK 1
DF 6
DF 5 Bakary Soumaré
DF 23 Laurent Ciman
DF 25 Donny Toia
MF 15
MF 14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c)
MF 16 Calum Mallace
MF 11
FW 10
FW 7 Dominic Oduro
Substitutions:
DF 3
MF 8
DF 51
MF 55 Wandrille Lefèvre
FW 99 Jack McInerney
GK 41 John Smits
FW 13 Kenny Cooper
Manager:
Frank Klopas
Assistant referees

[8]
Cristian Ramírez (Honduras)
Oscar Velásquez (Honduras)
Fourth official


Armando Castro (Honduras)

Second leg

Montreal Impact took the lead in the 8th minute, after Andrés Romero received Ignacio Piatti's pass, dribbled on goal and scored. Darío Benedetto had a golden chance just a few minutes later when he had a seemingly open goal from 4 yards out, but his shot hit the crossbar and the Impact cleared the ball away. Piatti had a great chance to extend the lead for Montreal midway through the first half, but Moisés Muñoz made a great save for Club America. The lead lasted until the 50th minute, as Darío Benedetto equalized for América with a scissor kick from Osvaldo Martínez's cross. América took the lead in the 65th minute, when Darwin Quintero headed the ball across goal for Oribe Peralta to head it in. Benedetto increased América's lead two minutes later as he stabbed in a cross from Miguel Samudio, and completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute with a curling shot after another assist from Quintero. Jack McInerney added a consolation goal in the 88th minute as he scored from Piatti's pass.[9] [10]

valign=top width=50%
width=25!width=25
GK 30 Kristian Nicht
DF 14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c)
DF 5
DF 23
DF 25 Donny Toia
MF 15
MF 16 Calum Mallace
MF 10 Ignacio Piatti
MF 33
MF 11 Dilly Duka
FW 7
Substitutions:
GK 40 Maxime Crépeau
DF 51
DF 3 Eric Miller
MF 8
MF 55 Wandrille Lefèvre
FW 99
FW 13 Kenny Cooper
Manager:
Frank Klopas
valign=topvalign=top width=50%
width=25!width=25
GK 23 Moisés Muñoz
DF 22 Paul Aguilar
DF 17 Ventura Alvarado
DF 12
DF 6 Miguel Samudio
MF 3
MF 21
MF 10
MF 14 Rubens Sambueza (c)
FW 24
FW 9
Substitutions:
GK 1 Hugo González
DF 4 Erik Pimentel
DF 15
MF 5 Cristian Pellerano
MF 11
FW 27
FW 28 Martín Zúñiga
Manager:
Gustavo Matosas
Assistant referees

[11]
Leonel Leal (Costa Rica)
Octavio Jara (Costa Rica)
Fourth official


Jefrrey Solís (Costa Rica)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scotiabank CCL final dates, times set. CONCACAF.com. April 9, 2015. April 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170926100229/http://www.concacaf.com/article/dates-and-kick-off-times-set-for-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league-finals. September 26, 2017. dead.
  2. Web site: CONCACAF Champions League 2014–15 Regulations. CONCACAF.com. 21 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924053158/http://www.concacaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CCL-Regulations-ENG.pdf. 24 September 2015. dead.
  3. Web site: SCCL finals at a glance. https://web.archive.org/web/20150503030820/http://www.concacaf.com/article/sccl-finals-at-a-glance. dead. May 3, 2015. CONCACAF.com. April 20, 2015.
  4. Web site: SCCL final facts & figures. https://web.archive.org/web/20150504125446/http://www.concacaf.com/article/sccl-final-facts-figures. dead. May 4, 2015. CONCACAF.com. April 21, 2015.
  5. Web site: Peralta lifts Club America to draw with Montreal. https://web.archive.org/web/20150428184209/http://www.concacaf.com/article/peralta-lifts-club-america-to-draw-with-montreal. dead. April 28, 2015. CONCACAF.com. April 22, 2015.
  6. Web site: Champions League: Montreal looking at all options as GK Evan Bush fumes over leg 2 suspension MLSsoccer.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150429152907/http://www.mlssoccer.com/ccl/news/article/2015/04/27/champions-league-montreal-looking-all-options-keeper-evan-bush-fumes-over-cc. 2015-04-29.
  7. Web site: Club América vs Montreal Impact Highlights. Youtube. April 22, 2015. April 24, 2015. April 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150427235109/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0R4AQr6Hkk. live.
  8. Web site: Cuarteto arbitral de Honduras designado para el partido de ida de la Final de la SCCL. UNCAF. April 19, 2015. Spanish. April 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150504193814/http://www.uncafut.com/web/index.php/liga-campeones/6512-cuarteto-arbitral-de-honduras-designado-para-el-partido-de-ida-de-la-final-de-la-sccl. May 4, 2015. dead. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: Club America wins SCCL title. CONCACAF.com. April 29, 2015. May 1, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150504125420/http://www.concacaf.com/article/club-america-wins-sccl-title. May 4, 2015. dead.
  10. Web site: Montreal Impact vs Club América Highlights. Youtube. April 29, 2015. May 1, 2015. February 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160224033620/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KhHYNnTps. live.
  11. Web site: Cuarteto arbitral de Costa Rica designado para el partido final de la SCCL. UNCAF. April 17, 2015. Spanish. April 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150504205327/http://www.uncafut.com/web/index.php/liga-campeones/6509-cuarteto-arbitral-de-costa-rica-designado-para-el-partido-final-de-la-sccl. May 4, 2015. dead. mdy-all.