Chivas get the better of Club América in Champions Cup first leg | OneFootball

Chivas and Club América met on Wednesday in the first of three straight Clásicos de los Clásicos, with the sides fighting for a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal.

Both legs are sandwiched either side of the Saturday night meeting in the Liga MX Clausura, in which Los Rojiblancos are tenth, compared to América, who are second.

Anytime these two meet, we can expect fireworks and the pre-game antics suggested that this would be no different.

Chivas decided to sack Oscar Garcia in the buildup to the meeting despite the Spaniard joining the club in January. In actual fact, the 2024/25 season has been a torrid one for the club witnessing former manager Fernando Gago leave the club with the Argetine since being released by his boyhood club Boca Juniors.

Everything suggested that this would be a comfortable meeting for Mexico's most decorated side. Club América are on a streak of three straight Lig MX titles, chasing a fourth. Their start to the Clausura is only bettered by Club Leon, who look inspired since the arrival of James Rodriguez.

But this is derby day. Everyone knows that the form book is thrown out the window on days like this. If Chivas were looking for inspiration ahead of the clash, they would have been aware that André Jardine's side has eluded CONCACAF's precious silverware since 2016, only making one final since then, which they lost to Monterrey.

The 90 minutes came and went as the anticipation led to a tense and uneventful battle on the pitch. Chivas broke the deadline with 13 minutes left on the clock, helped as Sebastián Cáceres netted into his own goal to send the Estadio Akron faithful into pandemonium.

Whether the teams are just gearing up for what should be a thrilling battle between Mexico's biggest rivals, time will only tell. All we can say is that the next seven days will dictate the rest of the season for both sides.