Mexico’s Apertura 2021 title is up for grabs after favorites and No 1 seed Club America were lost in the liguilla quarterfinals (playoffs) by a team of Pumas who became Liga MX’s Cinderella after this season .
At one point in the current season, Pumas finished last in the Liga MX standings, only to get a late lead to the knockout stages involving a dramatic 4-3 win over champions Cruz. Azul on the last day of the regular season.
Pumas will now sport another surprise outfit in Atlas, the blue outfit that together make up one of the best seasons in recent history, coming in at number two in the season rankings. normally. Either team will make it to the finals, which no one predicted would start the Apertura season.
THAN: World Cup knockout draw results
The remaining semi-final features the two strongest teams in Liga MX that have enjoyed sustained success over the course of several seasons: It will be a tight battle between the 3rd and 4th seeds, Tigres and Leon. They drew 2-2 in their only meeting of the Apertura season after Leon took a 2-0 lead on the road in El Volcan.
| Day | Match | Time (ET) | channel | Current |
| Wednesday, December 1 | Semi-finals, round 1: Tigres UANL vs. Leon | 10 give me | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV , |
| Thursday, December 2 | Semi-finals, round 1: Pumas UNAM vs Atlas | 9 pm | TUDN | fuboTV |
| Saturday, December 4 | Semi-finals, 2nd round: Leon vs. Tigres UANL | 10 give me | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
| Sunday, December 5 | Semi-finals, 2nd round: Atlas vs. Pumas UNAM | 8pm | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
| Thursday, December 9 | Finals, first leg: TBD | TBD | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
| Sunday, December 12 | Finals, 2nd stage: TBD | TBD | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
Liguilla MX . series lanyard
In the playoff quarter-final and semi-final series, the team that scores the most goals in both games will advance.
But if the teams are behind in terms of goals scored at the end of that second leg, the club with the higher record in the regular-season standings will advance. In the event of reaching the semi-finals, it will be No 3 Leon (vs No. 4 Tigres) and No. 2 Atlas (vs 11 Pumas), which will advance if they are equal in total goals.
That tiebreak rule will disappear in the final, where teams will go into extra time and shootout, if necessary, to decide the champion.
4 Tigres UANL vs. No.3 Leon
| Day | Match | Time (ET) | channel | Current |
| Wednesday, December 1 | First leg: Tigres UANL vs. Leon | 10 give me | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV , |
| Saturday, December 4 | 2nd leg: Leon vs. Tigres UANL | 10 give me | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
Two of the top teams in recent seasons have once again been among the most consistent for the duration of the 2021 Apertura campaign, taking advantage of the core players they’ve played alongside. each other for several seasons. Leon lifted the trophy last year and Tigres did it the year before (2019).
The two met quite recently for the championship when they faced off against the 2019 Clausura championship, won by Tigres. The Monterrey-based team are also unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions against La Fiera, with Leon’s most recent victory being in the 2017 Liga MX Apertura season.
THAN: Final vote for the Golden Ball Award 2021
Head coach Miguel “El Piojo” Herrera says he is planning to launch his regular Tigres squad with the only doubt being influential Guido Pizarro, who is still recovering from the blow.
Meanwhle Herrera ignited the media ahead of the game by claiming that Leon’s Argentine coach, Ariel Holan, was benefiting from a squad led by his Mexican predecessor, Nacho Ambriz, and Holan has his team playing a brand of defensive and speculative football, particularly away from home.
Number 11. Pumas UNAM vs Number 2. Atlas
| Day | Match | Time (ET) | channel | Current |
| Thursday, December 2 | First leg: Pumas UNAM vs Atlas | 9 pm | TUDN | fuboTV |
| Sunday, December 5 | 2nd leg: Atlas vs. Pumas UNAM | 8pm | Univision, TUDN | fuboTV |
It was the most exciting game of the semi-final against Cinderella of the post-season, 11th seed Pumas, looking to maintain their magic run against one of the top teams of the season. Second seed Atlas has lost just four times during its 17 regular season games and it has their fans dreaming of ending a 70-year title drought.
THAN: The MLS knockouts also reach the semi-finals
For a team stuck at the bottom of the Liga MX rankings for a moment, it’s been a remarkable month for Pumas. The players now believe they can win it all with a sharp edge of style both at home and on the road. They used it to win on their way to toppling both 5th-seeded Toluca (knockout) and their hated, first-seeded Club America (quarter-finals).
Pumas and Atlas have met in the knockout stages only twice before, and both meetings have come in 2004 and Pumas have won both cases (the two shorter seasons taking place annually in the USA). Mexico). Mexico City-based Auriazules also entered this liguilla streak with a seven-match unbeaten streak in meetings with Atlas.
Both have long been Mexican champions, although both have consistently produced top Mexican talent over the years. The seventh and most recent title for Pumas came in 2011, but it’s been 70 years since Atlas won its sole title in 1951.
