MEXICO CITY -- Club America took the bragging rights and advanced to the Clausura 2016 semifinals on Sunday after defeating rivals Chivas 2-1 in Estadio Azteca.
Here are three takeaways from an intense series between Mexico´s biggest rivals.
Peralta the hero as America take bragging rights
The CONCACAF Champions League and Liga MX double is on for Club America in its centennial year.
Naturally a big and important win over archrival Chivas would've been part of any dream plan to celebrate 100 years of the club's existence and that came on Sunday evening in a rocking (literally) Estadio Azteca.
This was a close game between fierce rivals and in the end it was America's individual quality that saw them come through. Oribe Peralta was the hero for Las Aguilas, converting a Darwin Quintero cross on the counter-attack in the 64th minute for the winner.
America's superior firepower was evident over the 180 minutes and head coach Ignacio "Nacho" Ambriz's stock is rising fast following the CCL crown and now an important win over Guadalajara.
Ambriz had come in for criticism in his reign as America coach for not winning the big games, but it doesn't come any bigger than the Clasico Nacional as the Mexican manager's tactics worked well with his side picking off a tiring Chivas in the second half.
Chivas leave with heads held high
This hurt Chivas fans. There was an edge going into the game, even more so than usual for a Clasico Nacional. Coach Matias Almeyda was banned from being on the bench and accused someone high up in the America hierarchy of making sure what he said to the referee in the first leg from the sideline was in the referee's match report.
Almeyda had also made some not so subtle statements about America's counter-attacking style not befitting a big team. The fact Peralta's crucial goal came on a fine counter from Quintero and Peralta only rubbed salt into the wounds.
But Chivas have made significant progress this season. The priority was avoiding relegation and what happened after that was something that bodes very well moving forward.
Chivas have a head coach in Almeyda who plays the type of football the fans want to see and who has turned the side around.
The team from Guadalajara may have lost the battle in Estadio Azteca on Sunday against an America that has won four titles over the last three years, but it is now well-placed to be a protagonist moving forward. In the end, Carlos Pena's misplaced penalty was the only difference between the sides.
One or two shrewd signings will be required in the summer, but Chivas are back and fans have a team they can be proud of.
Pineda soars ahead of Copa America
Orbelin Pineda arrived at the Estadio Azteca with a freshly cut mohawk. The 20-year-old looked mean and like he meant business -- Pineda clearly wanted to knock America out of the Liguilla badly.
The former Queretaro midfielder took the game by the scruff of its neck, outshining much more experienced players like Pena and America's midfielders. Pineda has been a youngster to keep an eye on for a bit, but Sunday was like his coming out parade.
The first goal summed it up. Pineda started the move in the center of his own half, before the No. 7 passed to Carlos Salcido and charged forward. Meanwhile, Pena fed left-winger Carlos Cisneros, who pulled the ball back to Pineda. With America slow to close him down, Pineda set himself from 25 yards and curled a shot into far right corner.
After that, Pineda won a penalty and was both concise and inventive with his general passing, driving Chivas forward and defending when required: the true essence of a box-to-box midfielder.
Watching on, Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio was probably salivating. This is a player who relishes the big stage and, although he still has much work to do, he is already making the Liga MX seem a little easy because of his amazing natural talent.
Pena and Isaac Brizuela are other Chivas players that will be firmly on Osorio´s radar for this summer´s Copa America Centenario, but it is Pineda who is showing the qualities to be part of Mexico´s national team for years to come.