America vs. Tigres UANL: Score and Recap from 2014 Liga MX Apertura Final Leg 2

With a decisive 3-0 win in the Estadio Azteca on Sunday night, Club America captured the 2014 Liga MX Apertura title. Las Aguilas defeated Tigres by a 3-1 aggregate score over the two legs.

America celebrated the victory on Twitter:

For the club, more than the Apertura was on the line. If Las Aguilas won the title, they'd surpass Chivas Guadalajara for the most first-division championships in Mexican football history. Getting bragging rights over a hated rival always adds a little bit more motivation.

America captain Miguel Layun spoke to Mexican newspaper Record before the match and discussed how he and his teammates were well aware of what beating Tigres would mean, via FoxSoccer.com's Kyle McCarthy:

"

For people, it is important to overtake Chivas to highlight our good moment and the difficult situations Chivas have gone through in recent tournaments. There are a lot of positives for our supporters. We want to give them the joy of supporting the most successful team. We want to give it to them.

"

In the first leg, Tigres were decisively the better side. According to espnfc.com, they had 58 percent of possession and limited America to two shots on goal. If anything, America were lucky to walk out of the Estadio Universitario with only a 1-0 defeat.

However, the script was completely flipped for the second leg. Buoyed by a raucous Azteca crowd and in need of a goal, America quickly became the side in the ascendancy and more often than not, dictated the pace of the match. They went right at Tigres, with the visitors pinned back in their own half.

Mexican football expert Tom Marshall noted how important it was for Tigres to keep America off the score sheet early in the match:

In the eighth minute, Michael Arroyo nearly put America on top. He unleashed a right-footed shot from about 25 yards out. His effort went just inches wide of the goal. Tigres undoubtedly caught a lucky break, but their reprieve was only momentary.

In the 36th minute, Arroyo won possession in midfield and weaved his way through the Tigres defense. He then unleashed a thunderous shot from short range that beat Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman at the near post.

Marshall praised Arroyo for both the finish and his darting run on goal:

The goal didn't have a profoundly negative effect on the Tigres defense, but there looked to be a visible difference in how they played once the Liguilla final was tied. Eugene Rupinski of The Brotherly Game felt Tigres' confidence was slowly draining:

Still, the half-time score remained 1-0 (1-1 aggregate), so the half wasn't a complete disaster. However, America had that crucial first goal and 45 minutes to find a winner.

The home fans didn't have to wait long for the go-ahead goal. In the 61st minute, Rubens Sambueza delivered a free-kick from the right of goal. Pablo Aguilar got on the end of the cross and hit a looping header that somehow floated out of Guzman's reach and under the crossbar.

Goal.com's Seth Vertelney stood up and took notice:

That goal gave America a 2-1 aggregate lead, and with the away-goals rule not in effect for the final, Tigres needed two goals to win in regulation or one to push the match to extra time.

However, Tigres completely unraveled after Aguilar's goal. Three different Tigres players were sent off in an eight-minute span, leaving the club with eight players for the final 18 minutes.

Oribe Peralta ended any semblance of drama with a goal in the 78th minute, giving America a three-goal lead in the second leg and a two-goal aggregate lead.

America held out for the final 12 minutes plus injury time, winning the Apertura title and sending manager Antonio Mohamed out on a high note. The 44-year-old is apparently out the door even after the victory, and he wasn't afraid to show how much the title meant to him:

The Clausura will start up in 2015, with all eyes on America to see if they can make it a Apertura/Clausura double. The last time they won the Clausura was 2013.