Guatemala's Xelajú MC became the first non-Mexican side to knock a Mexican club out of the CONCACAF Champions League. The 1-0 win over Guadalajara on 21 August gave them an opening, but Chivas' 1-1 draw to W Connection in Trinidad & Tobago did the most damage to their prospects. In the end, an Allan Alemán header ten minutes from time on Thursday gave Xelajú the away goal that they needed to advance to the quarterfinals.
CONCACAF's new Champions League setup has given more of an opportunity for American and Mexican clubs to advance to the knockout stages. Yes, they do have to win the group, but it's a group composed of representatives of relatively weaker leagues than their own. But there's a big catch -- they still have to win the group! It's been a tough first half of the season for Chivas as they've struggled with injuries and inconsistent play in the league, and the result was an opening that Xelajú charged through.
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