With goals from Germán Berterame, Rogelio Funes Mori and Jesús Gallardo, a pragmatic Monterrey defeated Cruz Azul 3-0 on Saturday and became the first semifinalist of the Apertura tournament in Mexico.Berterame, who was the scoring champion of this regular season, scored the first goal of the match at 19 minutes, Funes Mori gave him a commitment course at 87 and Gallardo sealed the account at 90 for the Rayados, who in the game of first leg they achieved a goalless draw at the Azteca stadium.Monterrey, which was the second best team in the regular tournament, must wait for results from the other quarterfinal series to know its next opponent.The team led by award-winning coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich has the highest payroll in the country and is one of the favorites for the championship.Los Rayados are seeking their sixth league championship and the first since Apertura 2019.Cruz Azul saw a chain of six games without defeats broken as well as its desire to access its first semifinals since Clausura 2021, when it won the ninth championship in its history.La Maquina, who finished seventh and entered the playoffs, needed any win to stay alive.The team led by Raúl Gutiérrez had some scoring opportunities, but did not worry Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada too much.His best arrival came in the 79th minute when Argentine Carlos Rotondi crashed a shot into the right post.Monterrey scored the first goal of the match in a corner kick play in which Berterame took advantage of a center from the right, beat his marker and finished with a shot to the right post of Jesús Corona's goal.The Rayados widened the advantage towards the end, when Funes Mori received a cross from the right and finished with a soft shot through the center of the goal.The play was reviewed by the VAR for a possible offside, but the goal was validated.Monterrey extended its advantage in injury time when Gallardo received a cross from the left and converted with a left-footed shot in the small area.