Monterrey beats America to reach Liga MX final phase

MEXICO CITY, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Colombian midfielder Nelson Deossa scored a late winner as Monterrey secured a berth in the Liga MX Clausura post-season on Wednesday with a 1-0 home win over reigning champion America.

Deossa broke the deadlock in the 75th minute when he pounced on a headed clearance to send a 30-yard drive into the bottom-right corner.

It was the 25-year-old's third goal since joining the Rayados from Pachuca in January for a reported fee of 6.5 million U.S. dollars.

The result leaves Monterrey eighth in the 18-team standings with 25 points, six points behind third-placed America with one matchday remaining in the regular season.

The top six teams will automatically advance to the quarterfinals while those ranked seventh to 10th will contest a play-in round to determine the last two spots. ■