Tigres handle business accordingly vs. Xolos; grab second consecutive 1-0 victory

After witnessing the dominant display Tigres put on Sunday night against a visiting Tijuana side, fans have every reason to be happy. Tigres created countless opportunities and dominated virtually every stat. If there’s one thing to say, it’s that they struggled to capitalize. To the point where they had three correctly disallowed goals. That’s right, THREE. Tijuana simply had nothing going. Their game plan was clear from the start; retreat all lines and defend the draw at all costs. And who can blame them?

Apart from the disallowed goals, Tigres had 17 total shots in the match to Tijuana’s 6. Ball possession was also in favor of the home side. The four clearest scoring opportunities which were either missed or blocked by keeper Jonathan Orozco. The match simply belonged to Miguel Herrera’s players the entire 90 minutes.

The moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived in the 78th minute, when Tigres LB Jesús Angulo sent a cross into the box seeking Gignac. Xolos CB Nicolás Díaz beat the Frenchman to the ball and headed it out. However, unfortunately for him, the ball was headed straight to a waiting Raymundo Fulgencio, who upon reading ball direction, simply took a couple of steps forward, slightly tilted his body, and discharged a right-footed cannon into the bottom left corner of Orozco’s goal to give Tigres the defining (and only) goal of the match. A masterpiece of a score for sure.

The important factor to highlight in this one for Tigres is not just the fact they got the “W,” but more their overall tactical performance. They absolutely obliterated a team they had to obliterate in Tijuana, who are now at the tail end of the league table, with only 1 point and 1 goal scored (both tied for league worst). True, the goal scoring and effectiveness didn’t go their way, but their overall result in just about every other stat is really all you can ask from your team in a game like this. In other words, take care of business. Whether you like Miguel Herrera or not, Tigres fans have to give him that. The true tests will no doubt come when facing the league’s tougher opponents, and that is where he will be judged for good.

As a matter of fact, Tigres have a true test this coming weekend when they play hosts to the bicampeón Atlas. Diego Cocca’s squad are fresh off their first victory of the season and will look to reaffirm their performance in last season’s semifinal. On the other hand, with their victory Sunday night, Tigres have now climbed all the way to 5th overall, just one point from league leaders Puebla and Pachuca, and will be searching for their third straight victory.