Club America and Tigres progress to CONCACAF Champions League semifinals

After Liga MX dominance in the quarterfinals, the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals are set: Santos Laguna will take on Club America, while Queretaro will play current Liga MX champions Tigres.

Club America 3-1 (5-3 agg.) Seattle Sounders

Club America reached their second consecutive CONCACAF Champions League semifinals with a 5-3 aggregate victory over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night.

Goals from Darwin Quintero, Oribe Peralta, and Andres Andrade enabled Las Aguilas to a comfortable win against their MLS counterparts.

Ignacio Ambriz's side threatened throughout the first half, but fell behind before the interval because of an own-goal from Pablo Aguilar. As the defender was falling, Osvaldo Alonso's cross was directed past Aguilar's own goalkeeper to give the Sounders a surprise lead.

But the visitors had barely finished celebrating when Darwin Quintero headed home after Rubens Sambueza cross from the right to level the score

Club America then took the lead three minutes later. Sambueza produced another great cross from the wing and Stefan Frei was powerless to prevent Oribe Peralta from sending his header into the back of the net.

Early in the second half, America confirmed their superiority as a flowing counter-attack ended in Andres "Rifle" Andrade sweeping home for his side's third of the night.

With the Sounders needing two more goals to progress, Club America comfortably held on to the see the game through until the final whistle.

Tigres 1-1 (3-1 agg.) Real Salt Lake

Andre-Pierre Gignac struck late as Tigres made it a perfect four out of four Liga MX teams in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Real Salt Lake.

Tigres' 2-0 win in the first leg looked like being enough for Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's side, but Real Salt Lake refused to buckle and were rewarded on 22 minutes.

Joao Plata tapped home from Yura Movsisyan's delivery from the right to cut the deficit to one with more than half the game still remaining.

As the clocked ticked down, the hosts looked desperately for the equalizer and a moment of magic to get them leveled on aggregate.

In the 72nd minute, the ref called a penalty in favor of Real Salt Lake for a trip on Juan Manuel Martinez that did not look to be inside the box. But the Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman saved from Javier Morales' following kick to deny Real Salt Lake the equalizer.

Already in added time, Andre-Pierre Gignac killed all hope for Real Salt Lake by rounding off Nick Rimando and finishing towards an empty net for the 3-1 victory.