Late goal gives Tigres tie against Pumas

Tigres dashed Pumas’ hearts with a 90th + 5 minute goal to give them a 1-1 tie in Mexico City. Pumas were seconds away from getting their second win of the season and although they ended a three match losing streak, the tie felt like a loss in a game where they also had a number of injuries. Tigres will now return home to face Necaxa while Pumas travels to Guadalajara to face Chivas.

The 1st half started with Pumas goalkeeper Gil Alcala taking the place of injured Juilo Gonzalez while Jose Caicedo took the place of injured midfielder Higor Meritao. A shot from outside the area forced Tigres’ goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman to make a save. Tigres answered with a shot from Sebastian Cordova in the area that went wide. Minutes later, Cordova would have a great chance when he got the ball in the area but his shot went right to Alcala, missing a great opportunity. A shot from outside the area from Rafael Carioca went just wide. Gustavo Del Prete got off a left-footed shot from outside the area, but Guzman easily handled it. Tigres came close after a good run from Luis Quiñones finished with a good pass into the area that was barely cleared by Pumas’ defense. The home side had a good chance off a counter when Dani Alves sent a great cross into the area but Del Prete misjudged the ball and whiffed on his volley. The halftime whistle blew in a very even match that remained scoreless.

The 2nd half was under way with Pumas and Tigres hoping to improve and take control of a very even match. A minute in, Juan Ignacio Dinenno would get the ball and get off a great long-distance shot that would go past Nahuel Guzman for the 1-0. It was a great start for Pumas and a great strike for the struggling forward. Quiñones would get the ball and get off a left-footed shot in the area, but Alcala would make a great save. After an injury, Ricardo Galindo had to be subbed out for Pablo Bennevendo. Pumas had a great chance when after a great header, Dinenno got a wide open strike, but his right-footed shot went wide in a bad miss from the goal scorer. Tigres subbed out Vladimir Loroña for Jordy Caicedo. A free kick from Cordova came real close to going in or creating a close range opportunity, but the ball went inches wide. Pumas subbed out Leonel Lopez for Marco Garcia while Tigres subbed out Rafael Carioca for Raymundo Fulgencio. A cross into the area found Dinenno but his header went wide. After a clearance by Jose Caicedo who was having a great game, he had to receive medical attention and leave the match. With only 10 players on the field, Pumas looked to hold on for dear life as Tigres pushed for the goal. Finally, Caicedo was subbed out for Carlos Gutierrez while Gustavo Del Prete got subbed out for Cesar Huerta. Off a corner kick, Alcala went to clear the ball with a punch that went right to Guido Pizarro, who lobbed the ball wide with an empty net, in what was a bad miss. Tigres would then sub out Diego Reyes for Juan Pablo Vigon. In injury time, a cross into the area found Andre Pierre Gignac, who was wide open and got a header past Alcala for the 1-1. The game ended with Pumas minutes away from a big win, but instead ended up with a another huge disappointment.

Despite Lillini’s squad finally ended their losing streak, it was still another disappointment for Pumas and their fans. An injury time goal meant Pumas once again had victory snatched as they continue to lay in the lower part of the table with just a single victory. Coach Andres Lillini improved his team somewhat, but in the end it was all for naught, and a couple of injuries will further hurt a team that already had 3 starters out because of them. The only good news was the good performance from backup keeper Alcala that might complicate things for Gonzalez moving forward, but even goal scorer Juan Ignacio Dinenno can’t say he performed well as he had two bad misses that ended up costing the team. Tigres didn’t give the best performance either but took advantage of Pumas’ physical problems and got a good point on the road. Still, they came in heavily favored and after getting a point in the Clasico Regio, they have slowed their level of play and will need to pick things up against Necaxa. Meanwhile, Pumas has a tough away trip to Chivas, a team that was struggling even more than Pumas before the match but has managed to turn things around of late.