América defeats Cruz Azul in the semifinals and goes for the title against Toluca in the 2025 Clausura.

Club América secured its place in the Grand Final of the 2025 Clausura tournament after eliminating Cruz Azul in an intense semifinal duel. The second leg, played at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes , ended with a 2-1 victory for the club, tying the aggregate score at 2-2, but favoring América due to its superior position in the standings.

The match started with the Azulcrema team clearly dominating. From the opening minutes, América showed offensive intent and created constant danger in the opponent's box. The first high-risk play came in the 15th minute, when Víctor Dávila attempted a shot that was saved by Kevin Mier . The rebound fell to the Chilean again, who sent in a cross that was finished by Henry Martín, but the Colombian goalkeeper intervened again to prevent his goal from going in.

In the 26th minute, América came close to opening the scoring after a through ball from Álvaro Fidalgo to Henry Martín , who finished with a left-footed cross, but the ball hit the post. The effort maintained a goalless halftime tie despite the home side's persistent attack.

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Already in the second half, Cruz Azul surprised with a well-executed counterattack in the 58th minute. Jorge Sánchez broke down the right and sent a precise cross to the penalty spot, where Lorenzo Faravelli appeared to finish with his first attempt and make it 0-1 on the scoreboard.

América 's response was immediate. Just two minutes later, in the 60th minute, Rodrigo Aguirre was brought down in the box by Kevin Mier, an action that was reviewed by VAR and ruled a penalty. From the penalty spot, Henry Martín converted confidently to level the match at 1-1 and keep the Azulcremas in the game.

The tie-breaking goal, which ultimately proved decisive, came in the 78th minute. From a set piece, Henry Martín headed a corner kick to the far post, where Cristian Borja appeared unmarked and connected with another header to beat Mier again and make it 2-1, which, with the aggregate tie, gave América a place in the final thanks to their superior position in the standings.

With this result, América will once again compete in a Liga MX final, this time against Toluca , in a matchup that is the first in the history of the short-tier tournaments. Although both clubs have previous appearances in other tournament finals, this will be the first time they've faced each other for the league title since the current format was introduced in 1996.

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