Néstor Araujo scored the decisive goal for América in a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Columbus Crew after a 1-1 draw in the Campeones Cup final on Wednesday night.

After The Crew’s Malte Amundsen hit the crossbar with his attempt, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte Araujo was unable to stop the ball and América emerged the winner.

Víctor Dávila scored in the 68th minute to put Club América ahead, but Amundsen equalized in the 77th minute.

Dávila, who came on as a second-half substitute, broke away and ran past the Crew defenders to give América the lead. The Chilean international was signed by América from CSKA Moscow just two weeks ago.

It was the second time that both teams appeared in a Campeones Cup final. América lost to Atlanta United FC in 2019. The Crew won the final in 2021 by beating Cruz Azul.

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The teams previously met in the group stage of the 2023 Leagues Cup, with the Crew winning 4-1.

The Campeones Cup, which was first played in 2018, is played annually between the winner of the MLS Cup championship and the winner of the Mexican Campeón de Campeones.

Club America has won the Liga MX title twice in a row: the 2023 Apertura seasons and the 2024 Clausura seasons.

The Crew are the reigning MLS Cup champions and also won the Leagues Cup this summer.

The Mexico City club had most of the ball in the goalless first half, but as the match progressed the Crew gained momentum.

Schulte made a crucial save from Álvaro Fidalgo in the 59th minute, before Araujo finished with a shot from the penalty spot.

This story uses information from The Associated Press.