Andre-Pierre Gignac Leads UANL to 1-0 Win over Leon in Leg 1 of Liga MX Final
May 23, 2019
MONTERREY, MEXICO - MAY 23: Andre-Pierre Gignac, #10 of Tigres, kicks the ball towards Andrés Mosquera, #4 of León, during the Final first leg match between Tigres UANL and Leon as part of the Torneo Clausura 2019 Liga MX at Universitario Stadium on May 23, 2019 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Tigres UANL held home field, and now all the pressure is on Leon to make a comeback in the 2019 Liga MX Final.
Andre-Pierre Gignac scored in the 21st minute and Nahuel Guzman held things together in net as Tigres earned a 1-0 victory over Leon in the first leg of their matchup. Leon will need to win the second leg by at least one goal to take home the league championship.
If the first match of the series is any indication, Leon will have a tough time making that happen. Tigres were the aggressors throughout, holding possession for 55 percent of the match while outshooting Leon 20-9. While only six of those shots were on goal, the ball consistently seemed to stay in the attacking zone, even when Leon was attempting to mount a comeback.
Angel Mena, who spearheaded the Leon attack, was kept almost completely quiet by the home defense.
Guzman, while not faced with much action in front of the net, made all four stops that came his way. He has recorded two straight shutouts to set up Tigres for a potential championship.
His squad will look to avoid coming home empty-handed for the season after losing in the CONCACAF Champions League Finals to Monterrey.
Leon, meanwhile, will have to pick things up at home to cap off their storybook season with a league championship. Not picked as a threat during the preseason, Leon sat atop the regular-season table by dominating on both ends of the field.
Giving up just one goal Thursday was a testament to the team's continued defensive brilliance. Rodolfo Cota was again strong in goal, and the defensive unit has to feel like they did enough to win the game given Tigres' aggression.
The victor's defense was just a little bit better in the first leg.
