A first-half goal from U.S. international Brandon Vazquez sent Monterrey on their way to a 3-1 victory over Inter Miami on Wednesday in Guadalupe, Mexico, and the hosts cruised to a 5-2 aggregate victory in a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal series.
Monterrey advance to a semifinal matchup against the reigning MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew. The two-leg series will begin in late April.
The other semifinal series will feature an all-Mexican matchup of Pachuca and Club America. Pachuca completed a 7-1 aggregate quarterfinal win over Costa Rica’s Herediano with a 2-1 home victory on Wednesday.
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Monterrey won the first leg against Inter Miami 2-1 on April 3 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with the Herons missing Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar returned from a hamstring injury to start on Wednesday, but he couldn’t spark a comeback.
A 31st-minute giveaway from Miami goalie Drake Callender in his own penalty area set up Vazquez for an easy goal. Vazquez intercepted Callender’s pass 10 yards out, took one touch, then fired a right-footed shot into the lower left corner.
German Berterame (58th minute) and Jesus Gallardo (64th minute) added goals to give Monterrey a 3-0 lead.
The evening grew worse for Inter Miami when Jordi Alba received a second yellow card in the 78th minute, leaving the visitors with 10 players. Even so, Miami got an 85th-minute goal from Diego Gomez.
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