After a long week of travel and controversial comments made by some of its players that ruffled some feathers, Tigres overcame being down on the scoreboard early in the game and defeated Ulsan Hyundai. UANL will face Palmeiras from Brazil on Monday in the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup.

The comments from Guido Pizarro and Nahuel Guzman earlier this week made some wonder if we should root for our fellow Mexican team. For now, some fans of Mexican soccer and Liga MX will celebrate Tigres’ victory, along with the club’s fans.

The Korean Tigres roared first

The South Koreans created the game’s first dangerous opportunity in the 19th minute thanks to Kim Ji-Hyeon’s shot from outside the box that forced Nahuel Guzman to make a diving save. Only a minute later, Tigres had an opportunity of their own as André-Pierre Gignac fired off a shot that the Ulsan’s goalkeeper was able to deflect.

It was not long after that sequence that Ulsan Hyundai drew first blood. The South Korean squad scored a goal off a corner kick, which appeared to be a complete defensive collapse during that set play. Kim Kee-hee freed himself to head the ball right into the goal. You clearly see that Los Universitarios had not assigned a player to defend the first post during the replay, which ultimately ended up costing them dearly.

Ulsan Hyundai kept Guzman busy as they created two additional dangerous opportunities after scoring the goal. However, Tuca’s men would roar back, and in a 2-minute span, one of their 3 chances finally paid off. In the 38th minute, it was none other than APG who would score to even things up. Tigres’ goal would also come off a corner kick as Diego Reyes’ header found Gignac inside the small box, and the Frenchman tapped the ball into the goal.

The Mexican Tigres kept roaring

After tying the game, the momentum shifted in favor of the Mexican side, and during the first half’s stoppage time, Mr. VAR decided to make a cameo. You can see that the referee made the right call in the tweet below by signaling a penalty in favor of the Liga MX squad.

André-Pierre took the responsibility to take the penalty and executed the shot to perfection. After falling behind in the first twenty minutes and surviving a burst of attacks from the K League1 side, the team from Northern Mexico went to lockers feeling much better about the partial result.

Slow start to the 2nd half

Other than what would have been a spectacular goal by Yun Bit-Garam in the 58th minute, which was waved off, the first 30 minutes of the second half did not provide much action. The South Korean squad kept pushing, but Tuca Ferretti kept making adjustments to keep the Asian team at bay.

Tuca brought Hugo Ayala into the game for Jesús Dueñas to reinforce the defense in the last ten minutes of the game. Unfortunately for the South Koreans, the tactic worked, and UANL’s fortress did not allow Ulsan to penetrate its goal.

Gignac clutch once again!

Once again, APG showed why he is considered one of the best foreign Liga MX players of all time. His two goals led Tigres to victory, but collectively, despite the slow start, the team from Nuevo Leon performed admirably.

How would you rate APG’s performance today?

After the game, Ricardo Ferretti was asked his thoughts about facing Palmeiras and said, “We’ll be going in without disrespecting anyone, but also no fearing to play any opponent.” Sunday’s match will be special for Tuca as he will get an opportunity to defeat a team from his birth country.