The first-leg of the final was an absolute blowout, essentially ending the tie after 90 minutes.
What was supposed to be a 180-minute tie was, realistically, over within the first 45.
You can argue at which point it truly ended or which goal effectively solidified the result of the tie. But what cannot be argued was Pachuca's dominance. In some ways, that word, "dominance", doesn't feel strong enough.
Tuzos put a historic beatdown on Toluca in the first leg of the Liga MX Apertura final, winning 5-1 on the road to effectively seal the tie. And, as a result, Sunday's second leg, set to be hosted at Tuzo's Estadio Hidalgo, will be little more than a coronation for a champion that has, effectively, already been crowned.
For Pachuca, it was a night that will go down as one of the best in the club's illustrious history on the road to their seventh title. And, for Toluca, it will be a night that will go down in infamy as one of the most embarrassing defeats imaginable in a final.
GOAL breaks down a night to remember in Toluca…
GettyWINNER: Romario Ibarra
Ibarra was as unplayable as the Brazillian legend he shares a name with.
The Ecuadorian international was on it from the opening whistle, with his eighth-minute golazo setting the tone for his side's dominance. At the time, it seemed like a big moment for the away team, but we all soon found out that it was a sign of things to come.
He added his second in the 36th minute, with a Gustavo Cabral goal sandwiched in between. Ibarra and Pachuca simply kept going and going, with the Ecuadorian's early salvo the catalyst for their domination.
By the time he was taken off in the 58th minute in what must have felt like a bit of mercy for the hosts, it was all over. Pachuca was up 5-0 and cruising.
And it's thanks to Ibarra, a player that has proven to be a player for the big moments. On Thursday, with his team facing another big moment, he shined brightest with what will certainly go down as one of the best, if not the best, performances of his career.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Everyone on Toluca
On a night this bad, it feels impossible to single out any one player. If you give up five goals at home in a cup final, it's because everyone was terrible at one point or another.
And that's what Toluca was: terrible. From the opening whistle, they were second best. They may have even been third-best if you think you could find 11 fans in the crowd to defend better than they did in that opening 45.
Could Thiago Volpi have done better on the first two goals? Potentially. Did Camilo Sanvezzo miss a golden chance at 2-0, one that could have brought his side back into it and ended Pachuca's avalanche of momentum? Most definitely. Was the defense nothing short of a catastrophe on the biggest stage? You bet.
It's a shame for the fans in attendance, who were so loud and passionate in the lead-up to and during this game. Even with their side down 5-1, the home crowd could be heard cheering "Si, se puede", or "Yes, we can".
Can they? Probably not. They now face a mountain that should be too big to climb.
GettyWINNER: Mauricio Isais
What a time to score your first professional goal.
Isais is a player with a bright future, and, boy, did he have a coming-out party. The young fullback has truly broken out, and now he has a goal to his name in a tournament final.
With his side up 3-0, Isais got his head to Victor Guzman's cross, heading it toward goal to make it 4-0. You could make the argument that it was the one that ended it all. It's hard to overcome a four-goal lead, after all.
It caps what has been a spectacular season for Isais, who has been fantastic for Pachuca the whole campaign. It also capped what has been a big week for the fullback, having been called into the training camp squad designed to help Mexico's national team prepare for the World Cup.
Qatar is a bit too soon for the 21-year-old Texas-born fullback, but it's clear he has a bright future ahead of him for club and country.
GettyLOSER: Drama
You could argue this was a good one for the neutral because let's be honest, who doesn't love goals? This game had plenty of them and goals of plenty of different varieties, too!
The problem is that they were essentially all scored by one team, and that sucked the life out of this two-legged final.
One of the best things about two-legged affairs is the hope that comes with a second leg. No matter what happened over the first 90 minutes, there are still 90 to go. No result is locked in and no lead is safe.
Well, except maybe this one.
Sunday's finale at Pachuca should be little more than a formality. It'll be a party, a coronation for a team that won so thoroughly that their opponents should have little way back.
Calling a potential Toluca comeback a miracle would be shortchanging it. Pachuca, to their credit, sucked the life out of this tie with how good they were, and they'll likely be champions as a result.