The Montreal Impact will no longer have to live with the stigma of defeat against Santos Laguna.
   
Cameron Porter scored at the end of second-half stoppage time and it was enough to allow the Impact to win the home series against Pachuca. The Impact will move on to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals thanks to a 1-1 tie Tuesday night at the Olympic Stadium.
   

The Impact and Mexico’s Pachuca had tied 2-2 last week at Estadio Hidalgo, giving a benefit to the Montreal team under away goals rules.
   

Frank Klopas’s team had to win Tuesday’s game or come out with a lower differential than last week to advance to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time in the team’s history.
   

Six years after Mexico’s Santos Laguna’s dramatic 5-2 victory over the Impact in the return leg in Mexico, Pachuca seemed about to relive similar emotions in front of 38,104 spectators at the Big O who hoped see Impact write a page of history.

Neither team could find a rhythm in the first half, but Pachuca had the better chances, blowing two shots – the Impact lucky it wasn’t at least one nil.

Pachuca got on the board first with a penalty kick by German Cano in the 80th minute, but in extra time, with seconds remaining rookie Cameron Porter managed to tie the game through the five-hole of goalkeeper Oscar Perez.   

The Impact will play the winner of the confrontation between DC United and Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the semis. The Alajuelense won the first leg 5-2 and the return match is scheduled on Wednesday in Washington.

The schedule for the semi-finals will be announced later.
 
In the meantime, the Impact will kick off its regular season in Major League Soccer on Saturday, visiting the United.