Gignac leads Tigres to 1st leg Liga MX final over Leon!
Tigres took a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the Liga MX Final. Los Universitarios outlasted Leon in a lackluster game to take a one-goal lead into El Nou Camp next Sunday.
Los Felinos came out looking to attack early and found the net in the 21st minute of the game. Luis “Chaka” Rodriguez took a ball down the right wing, dribbled past two defenders and played a thru ball to a streaking Luis Quinones, who took a quick left-footed toe shot that Rodolfo Cota was able to deflect. Unfortunately for Los Panzas Verdes, the rebound found the ever-dangerous Andre-Pierre Gignac near the far post, and he simply tapped it in with his right foot for the only goal.
Tuca Ferretti’s men continued to attack and almost found a reward again in the 37th minute. Gignac took a Javier Aquino pass in the box and sent a low cross that passed Cota but found a sliding Ramiro Gonzalez, who sent the ball out of the danger zone before a lurking Eduardo Vargas could cause further damage.
Los Esmeraldas nearly shot themselves in the foot in the 41st minute when a Chaka Rodriguez cross was horribly defended by Fernando Navarro, who sliced the ball over Cota and fortunately hit the near post.
Nacho Ambriz’s men started the 2nd half a more offensively, as Luis “Chapito” Montes found the space behind Carioca and Pizarro and was able to push Leon forward. The move created space between Leon’s midfield and defensive line, that Tigres were unable to take advantage of.
Tigres had the opportunity to add to their advantage in the 61st minute when again Chaka Rodriguez found space down the right wing, crossed the ball back, but the recently subbed on Enner Valencia put his shot over the crossbar and in the stadium’s upper deck.
Liga MX’s leading scorer, Angel Mena, finally made an appearance for Leon in the 84th minute, when he managed a left footed shot from outside the box the Nahuel saved to the corner.
The loss of Ruben Sambueza in the midfield and more importantly JJ Macias upfront were too much for Leon to overcome, and they seem to be losing steam in their last three games, since bulldozing the competition for the better part of the season. They will look to take advantage and close out the series at home next Sunday. It should be noted a 1-0 Leon win at home will not secure the title for Leon since the position on the table is no longer a factor. The question is now, will Ambriz be able to find the magic his team had throughout the season or will El Tuca unveil a tactical masterpiece and stifle Leon.
