Dorlan Pabon goal aids Monterrey to 1-1 draw at Tijuana in Quarterfinals First Leg

Dorlan Pabon boosted Monterrey’s chances of advancing to the Liguilla Semifinals by scoring in their 1-1 draw at Xolos de Tijuana.

Tijuana were largely outplayed in the opening few minutes, with Gibran Lajud twice forced to make a good save.

Xolos, though, came close to taking the lead when Luis “Quick” Mendoza’s effort was cleared off the line by Jesus Molina.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 39th minute when Dorlan Pabon nailed a long range effort into the bottom corner of the net to give Monterrey the lead.

Tijuana almost gifted Monterrey a second at the start of the second half, with Lajud surrendering possession to Arturo Gonzalez in a dangerous position before denying the Rayados midfielder.

In the 64th minute, Xolos de Tijuana would get their equalizer. From a long range free kick, Ignacio Rivera drove in a stunning shot past Hugo Gonzalez to level the score at 1-1.

Both teams will meet again on Saturday, with Tijuana needing to win or draw by two goals or more to advance to the next round of the Liguilla.