Monterrey Beats Morelia 1-0 in Liga MX Semifinals Behind Aviles Hurtado Goal

Monterrey is one step closer to the Liga MX finals after a 1-0 win over Morelia in the first leg of the semifinals.

Aviles Hurtado scored the match's only goal on a penalty, but the star forward left the game in the 65th minute with an apparent leg injury. Still, his first-half goal was enough to give the league's top squad a nice advantage Thursday night. 

Morelia will try to come back in the second and final leg Sunday.

Monterrey dominated Atlas in the first round of the playoffs but had a tougher time on the road in the semifinals.

Morelia held possession for 62 percent of the match, took more shots and had more attempts on goal but still ended up on the losing end.

Cesar Hernandez of ESPN FC broke down the top performances:

The home team appeared set to pull the upset in the opening frame, getting the better opportunities near the net but failing to turn that into goals.

Monterrey had similar problems in the final third but finally broke the tie in the 38th minute when a Carlos Guzman foul led to a penalty. Univision Deportes provided a video of what will be a heavily debated call:

Hurtado took advantage with a goal from the spot:

It gave the visitors a 1-0 advantage, although that alone wasn't the whole story of the first half. Tom Marshall of ESPN FC described the flow at that point:

That score remained through the second half as nothing was getting past Hugo Gonzalez in net.

Perhaps the best opportunity came in the 91th minute when Angel Sepulveda tried for the equalizer before the keeper made a miraculous save:

This was enough to ensure the clean sheet, helping the top club in the table remain the favorites to win it all.

The series will now shift to Monterrey, where the two teams will battle in the final leg Sunday night. While the Hurtado injury could be significant if he is unable to play, having an away goal will be key in this battle.

Whichever team survives will take on the winner of America and Tigres for the Apertura title.