Tigres come back to grab last minute win over Pumas

Tigres came back from being down 1-0 and being dominated at times to grab a 2-1 win over Pumas. Pumas came into the game in first place and with fans over the moon with their performances, but after a great first half they paid for their complacency and some terrible substitutions that not only allowed Tigres to get back into the match but also grab the three points in injury time. Tigres bounced back from a home loss, while Pumas loses their first place title before the FIFA break. Tigres now goes back home to face Mazatlan after the FIFA break while Pumas will have to make the long trip to face Tijuana.

The first half started with the news that although forward Juan Ignacio Dinenno was available to play for the first time this season, he was on the bench. Danger came when a cross almost went in, forcing Pumas’ goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera to make a great save. Pumas had a great opportunity when Diogo de Oliveira got the ball in the area and got off a right footed shot, forcing Tigres’ goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman to make a save. Later a shot from Florian Thauvin came close to scoring but went just wide. The game then became more even with neither team getting chances. Tigres broke through however when a great pass found Nicolas Lopez in the area, but “El Diente” wasted a great chance when his close range left footed shot went just wide. Then after a call by the referee that didn’t go their way, coach Miguel Herrera threw a tantrum that seemed to distract Tigres’ players. Pumas took the opportunity and with a great pass found Jeronimo Rodriguez, who got into the area and got off a left footed shot past Guzman for the 1-0 lead. Pumas came close shortly after when Rodriguez again got into the area, and his left footed shot forced Guzman to make a great save. Pumas then made a great play that ended with a great left footed shot from Higor Meritao that forced Guzman to make an even better stop on the chance. On the ensuing corner kick, Arturo Ortiz got off a header that hit the post, Pumas kept coming close but couldn’t convert as the 1st half ended with Pumas dominating the final minutes and Tigres withering under the hot conditions.

The second half started with Pumas hoping to build on their lead while Tigres tried to come back. Tigres started better, having control of the possession and pushing Pumas back. Tigres subbed out Sebastian Cordova for Juan Pablo Vigon, while Pumas subbed out Jose Rogerio and Sebastian Saucedo for Juan Ignacio Dinenno and Cristian Battochio. After gaining the ball, Pumas had a great opportunity with a three-on-two counter, but Dinenno made a terrible pass right into a Tigres defender wasting a chance. Tigres subbed out Florian Thauvin and Luis Rodriguez for Carlos Gonzalez and Luis Quiñones. After a fall it looked like Leonel Lopez was injured, and he had to be subbed out for Juan Jose Miguel, who was making his first division debut. Tigres continued to improve their level of play and eventually made it pay. A cross into the area was deflected into the path of Andre-Pierre Gignac, who got a header that hit the post. The ball went into the middle as Talavera was slow to react and Nicolas Lopez got a left footed shot from close range to get the 1-1 tie. Pumas subbed out Diogo de Oliveira for Omar Islas. Tigres meanwhile subbed out Nicolas Lopez for Raymundo Fulgencio. Tigres continued to have possession as Pumas looked to be without ideas. Then Juan Jose Miguel got called for a foul on Gignac and the referee gave Tigres a penalty kick. The ref went to VAR, but the call upheld. Gignac stepped up to take it and with a right footed shot scored to give Tigres the 2-1 lead. after a couple of minutes of stoppage time it was the end, and Tigres crowned a great comeback as Pumas crashed back into earth.

Pumas came into the game flying high, but the result has sent the team crashing back to earth. After two great wins to start their season, a great first half was totally undone by a terrible second that cost them the result. Pumas came out too defensively, and the changes really cost the team with Juan Igancio Dinenno playing worse than Jose Rogerio and Juan Jose Miguel having an unfortunate debut with the team. Even worse was Cristian Battocchio, who has so far been a complete failure during his time with Pumas. They need to bounce back as they face a tough away trip against Tijuana, although it will be after the FIFA break. Meanwhile Tigres got a great result after what looked to be another disappointing performance. Coming in from a bad home loss against Puebla, they get their first win of the season in a tough venue. They will also be very pleased to get the result after such a terrible performance in the first half, turning it around to where they looked to have been dominating in the final minutes. They now will have to wait for the end of the FIFA break before they get a good matchup with a home match against Mazatlan.