Gignac, Tigres help Liga MX prolong CCL domination
2-1 win over valiant LAFC is 15th straight for Liga MX
André-Pierre Gignac slotted home from the top of the box in minute 84 to give the Tigres a 2-1 triumph over LAFC in the Concacaf Champions League Final. The victory provides the Liga MX club with its first international trophy a year after losing in the Final to crosstown rivals Monterrey.
The win also marked the 15th consecutive CCL tournament that a Liga MX club hoisted the trophy.
LAFC of MLS drew first blood just after the hour mark when Diego Rossi collected a nifty pass from Mark-Anthony Kaye and chipped Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzmán from a sharp angle. The Tigres answered back 11 minutes later when defender Hugo Ayala escaped his marker and headed home off a corner kick.
With the clock winding down, fullback “Chaka” Rodríguez dribbled down the right flank, cut back across the top of the box while eluding two LAFC defenders then squared a deft pass to Gignac in the half-circle. Gignac drilled it first time and his low shot left Kenneth Vermeer with nary a chance. The goal was the Frenchman’s sixth of the tournament, earning him the Golden Boot.
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The first half was a rough-and-tumble affair as ref Mario Escobar (of Guatemala) allowed the physical stuff to go unpunished. (There were 40 fouls in the match and not a single yellow card issued.)
The Tigres tried to set a patient tempo, holding a steady advantage in possession throughout (54% for the match), but LAFC disrupted their passing game with aggressive marking. The Black and Gold could not create real scoring chances of their own, however, despite moving forward effectively after winning the ball.
LAFC playmaker Carlos Vela was a frequent victim of Tigres fouls as the Liga MX club refused to allow the former MLS MVP beat them. In return, Tigres players were often left sprawled on the deck wondering if anybody had gotten the license of the truck that had run them over.
The second half opened with the northerners finding an extra spark, getting to the ball first and charging upfield. Just 16 minutes in, Vela tapped a pass ahead to Kaye who angled a pass over the Tigres defense to Rossi rushing in free on the back side. Replays showed the LAFC winger was offside, but without Video Assistant Referee he was able to complete the play and give Los Angeles a deserved 1-0 lead.
The veteran Tigres team did not panic and the Liga MX powerhouse pressed the attack, surviving a scare a few minutes later when an unmarked Vela one-timed a drop pass from 13 meters right in front of net. Fortunately for Liga MX fans, fullback Jesús Dueñas blocked the sure-fire goal and the Tigres stayed in the match.
In minute 72, substitute Nicolás “Diente” López served up a picture-perfect cross off a corner kick and Ayala beat the LAFC zone defense to the near post and flicked a header toward the back post, past the lunging Vermeer and under a sprawling LAFC defender.
Ayala limped off a few minutes later and his replacement – Francisco Meza – nearly scored off a corner kick moments later. The Tigres would not squander their next scoring chance, however, as the Flying Frenchman picked the ideal time to announce his presence.
As “Chaka” worked his way right-to-left across the top of the box, four LAFC defenders dropped deeper to protect their net forgetting that Gignac was lurking. APG presented for the pass, “Chaka” squared it and Gignac’s trusty right boot did the rest.
Next. Battle for regional bragging rights. dark
Notes: The CCL title not only earned the Tigres their first international trophy, it was a first for long-time coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti. The “Auriazules” had reached three previous CCL Finals (2016, 2017 and 2019) only to lose each time. … The newest piece of hardware serves as an exclamation point for the Liga MX Team of the Decade. The Tigres won five Liga MX championships, one Copa MX and three Liga MX Champions Cups. … “El Pato” Guzmán won the Best Goalkeeper Award while Gignac added the MVP to his Golden Boot Award. … LAFC came up just short of a Mexican Grand Slam. The MLS club had defeated three Liga MX teams (León, Cruz Azul and América) to reach the Final.