Goals: Tigres—Guerron 64'
Recap: Ninety minutes of competitive football saw Tigres UANL take a 1-0 aggregate lead on Club America on Thursday.
A lackluster first half left created chances few and far between for both sides. Tigres boasted a lion's share of the possession (65 percent), but failed to connect in the final third. That changed in the second half. Six of the hosts' eight attempts landed on target, with the pivotal one coming in the 64th minute. A supreme header from Joffre Guerron sent the capacity crowd at the Estadio Universitario into a fervent frenzy, sealing the 1-0 victory for Tigres.
The second leg will be played on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Key Moment: Tigres manager Ricardo Ferretti opted for a starting 4-3-3 formation, but transitioned to a three-man back line in the second half. Left-back Jorge Torres tucked in along Hugo Ayala and Jose Rivas. Jose Torres and Jorge Estrada provided width in the newly formed 3-4-3. The tactical shift paid dividends, bombing the attack down the left flank. A take-on from Damian Alvarez allowed the captain to send the perfect ball in for Guerron to head home.
Man of the Match: Alvarez was a nuisance for the full 90 minutes, exposing the 1v1 defending abilities of Ventura Alvarado.
Lesson Learned: The ideal result for America would've been a scoreless draw, but the club was content with a 1-0 defeat. Even after Tigres captured the lead, Las Aguilas showed zero urgency to find an equalizer. On the game's final kick, rather than launch a goal kick into the opposition's half and pray for a favorable flick, Moises Munoz played it short to his center-back, waiting for the final seconds to tick away. But with nearly 100,000 spectators waiting to support at the Azteca, it's understandable as to why the 11-time champions believe a 1-0 deficit can be overturned.
Up Next: Both clubs travel to Mexico City to play the second and final leg of the Apertura.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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