Club America snatch 1-1 draw at Necaxa in semifinal first leg

William da Silva hit a deflected equalizer as Club America snatched a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2016 Liga MX Apertura semifinal against Necaxa.

The first half produced a casual encounter, with the best chance coming from a Jesus Isijara shot that produced a brilliant save from Moisés Muñoz.

But after a scoreless first period, Necaxa began to turn up the heat and grabbed the lead on 63 minutes when Luis Gallegos latched on to a a Jesus Isijara pass to fire in the breakthrough.

It looked like las Aguilas were heading a towards long final half hour, but they managed to level the tie just five minutes later. After a series of rebounds, William da Silva found space on the edge of the box and took full advantage as he thumped home with the help of a deflection.

The goal took the sting out of Necaxa, and both teams eventually saw out the game to give America the slight advantage heading into the second leg.

Both teams will meet again on Sunday at the Estadio Azteca, where Necaxa will need to score to have any chance of progressing to the final.