GUATEMALA CITY – The 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup kicked off on Tuesday night with 4-1 victory for Mexican heavyweights Monterrey against Comunicaciones of Guatemala in the first leg of their Round One series at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The five-time champions scored three second half goals to put themselves in the driver’s seat to reach the next round.
After the teams traded early scoring chances, Rayados started applying the pressure and broke through in the 22’ when Stefan Medina’s cross from the left was headed into net by German Berterame for a 1-0 Monterrey lead.
Andrada was called into action in the 26’ when a lapse from the Monterrey defense allowed a clear-cut chance for Carlos Mejia to score, only for the Rayados shot-stopper to come to the rescue.
Mejia would make up for his miss, though, and equalized 1-1 for Comunicaciones in the 29’ by heading in a cross from Stheven Robles.
Monterrey looked to regain control in the second half and a mad scramble from the Comunicaciones defense with GK Fredy Perez well off his line allowed Alfonso Gonzalez to touch home a shot from a few yards out for a 2-1 lead in the 52’.
Comunicaciones regrouped and tried to answer for a second time and came with an inch of another equalizer when Jose Corena hit the post and then was denied by Luis Romo on the goal-line on the follow-up effort.
Comunicaciones would come to rue the miss, as Monterrey stretched their advantage to 3-1 in the 71’ when Jesus Gallardo flicked home a header at the near post off a corner kick.
Monterrey then put the victory on ice in the 85’ on a diving header from Rodrigo Aguirre off a short flick from Gallardo to wrap up the 4-1 scoreline.
