2023-05-18 05:16:01
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Forward Sebastián Córdova scored for the second straight game and Tigres salvaged a 1-1 draw with Monterrey at home on Wednesday in the first leg of the semifinals of the Clausura tournament in Mexico.
Argentine Maximiliano Meza put the Rayados in front after 35 minutes, but Córdova tied this final between the two teams from the northern city of Monterrey in the 49th minute.
Last weekend, Córdova scored a second-half goal that earned his team a spot in the top four.
With the result, Tigres is forced to win next Saturday at the home of its metropolitan rival if it wants to return to a final, which it has not accessed since the Clausura 2019.
In the semifinals, the criteria to break a tie is the position in the standings where Tigres was seventh and Monterrey was the leader.
For the Rayados, any draw or victory gives them the ticket to what would be their first final since the Apertura 2019.
In the other key, which will begin to be played on Thursday, another classic is played, the national one, between América and Chivas.
Tigres were better early in the game, but Monterrey took the lead on a set ball when Meza took a free kick and sent a soft shot past Argentina goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán, who tried to control the ball and ended up going deep.
The play was reviewed in the VAR and the goal was validated.
Tigres regained control of the match and managed to tie when Javier Aquino sent a cross from the right into the area, where Córdova connected with his right foot and through the right post of Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada.
The locals seemed to turn the score around with a second goal from Córdova, but the goal was annulled for offside.
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