The Aguilas del America will always generate controversy whether they win or lose. On this occasion, the debate has centered on their recent elimination from the Apertura 2025 playoffs at the quarterfinal stage at the hands of Rayados del Monterrey, who prevented Andre Jardine’s team from reaching the semifinals for the eighth consecutive time. There were three controversial plays that have been circulating in conversations among Mexican soccer fans.
The Aguilas were just minutes away from reaching the semifinals. During the second leg, they managed to get a 2-0 lead, which would have seen them advance due to their better position in the overall standings. However, German Berterame silenced the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. In the play leading up to the goal, it has been mentioned that there was a foul on Sebastian Caceres, where Cesar Arturo Palazuelos, the central referee, should have called the corresponding sanction.
What happened in the play of Monterrey’s goal against America?
After the end of the series at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, a video has been revealed in which they claim that there is a previous foul to the goal of the naturalized Mexican. In this outcome, there is an alleged charge on the back by Roberto de la Rosa on the Uruguayan Sebastian Caceres when he was trying to get the ball out of his area. After a few seconds, the ball was cleared and then a second play appeared that ended with a goal by German Berterame, who beat Kevin Alvarez to the ball and shot past Angel Malagon.
In addition to Berterame’s goal and the alleged foul on Caseres, there is also the disallowed goal by Raul Zuniga. Was it the right decision? The play represented a 3-0 lead for America, but it was the key moment that marked the course of the duel. America’s deadly counterattack, Ramos Palazuelos and the VAR came into action, disallowing the goal that left the Azulcremas with a ticket to the semifinals. The reason why the goal did not go on the scoreboard was a tight offside by just millimeters, according to the lines drawn.
What other refereeing controversies were there in the second leg between America and Monterrey?
In the last minutes of the game, another controversy broke out after a tackle by Sergio Ramos on Ramon Juarez in the penalty area that many called for as a foul, a situation that was not pointed out by Cesar Arturo Ramos Palazuelos in the 97th minute of play. The Spaniard launched himself in search of the ball and in the images of the broadcast of the match you can see the contact on the humanity of the central defender who was looking to connect with the ball ending with a strong pain on the grass that the referee let go and finally blew for full time.
There was also one in favor of America after the referee did not call a penalty after a handball by Jonathan dos Santos. In this play, which occurred in the 79th minute, German Berterame headed a cross and the ball hit the arm of the Azulcrema player. Ramos Palazuelos did not even go to the VAR to review the play. All these refereeing situations that may or may not have been correct were combined with the decisions made in the first leg with Jesus Lopez Valle and Adonai Escobedo, who acted as central referee and in charge of the VAR that polemicized two key plays.
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