The panorama was favorable for Tigres UANL, in their visit to Cruz Azul, since they won with a goal by Jesús Dueñas in the first half. However, things changed in the second of the second half: Nico López made a bad calculation, kicked Luis Abram in the face and was sent off, after a VAR review.
The Uruguayan striker had been one of the most dangerous in the ‘Felines’ offense, for which he was constantly sought after by his teammates. Precisely, when the clock was approaching 56 minutes, Javier Aquino sent a powerful lateral kick towards the area, where the ‘Diente’ was located.
However, the qualification did not reach its destination, since Luis Abram knew how to anticipate and won head on, but the outcome was not positive for his interests. When fighting for the divided ball, Nico López could not stop his left leg and kicked the Peruvian defender directly in the face.
The defender fell abruptly on the grass and the Uruguayan soccer player went to help him, although that did not prevent referee Fernando Hernández Gómez from showing him the yellow card. Medical assistance was immediately admitted, since the Cruz Azul player had suffered a cut and was bleeding. There was concern in the Azteca Stadium.
A couple of minutes later, the match judge was called by the VAR and, after a thorough analysis, determined the expulsion of Nico López. Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera, DT of Tigres, was not satisfied with the decision and angrily complained, which is why he also won the red card. The tension begins to be noticed in the game.