The second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final is at the half, and Santos Laguna nabbed a goal at the very end of first half injury time in Torreon to lead 1-0. With the hosts down 2-0 to Monterrey heading into tonight's match, the onus was on them to get back into the tie, and their efforts had been thwarted until Daniel Luduena managed a rocket shot from the edge of the box to cut Monterrey's lead in half. It was exactly what Santos needed, and will likely cause Monterrey to try and hold more possession in the second half in order to preserve a winning margin.
Santos have had several excellent chances, with Darwin Quintero getting most of the opportunities in front of goal, but near misses and excellent goalkeeping from Rayados goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco kept them from cutting into the deficit until the stroke of halftime. Meanwhile, Monterrey's plan has been to sit back and absorb pressure from Santos, and while Orozco has been busy, it was a mostly effective strategy. With the 2-1 aggregate scoreline, Santos will surely push for a second goal, and as their strategy in the knockout stages has been to bide their time and wait for final half of their ties to come roaring back and pour on the goals, they may have Monterrey exactly where they want them. Considering Monterrey's attackers have hardly had the ball so far tonight, they may not have the same rhythm as their opponents, and could be on the collective back foot, especially if Santos get an equalizer early in the second half. Regardless of what will happen in the concluding half, Quintero's goal is exactly what this final needed to energize these teams. It should be a fascinating conclusion to the CCL final.
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