LAFC and Tigres UNAL have gotten to know each other well over these past few years.
It was almost three years ago when LAFC and Tigres had its first important meeting, as the two sides squared off in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League in Orlando. LAFC took the lead on a Diego Rossi goal in the 61st minute, but late goals from Hugo Ayala and Andre-Pierre Gignac enabled Tigres to win the title that year, giving them its first major trophy after coming up short in numerous competitions and thus stopped LAFC from becoming the first MLS side to win CCL.
On Wednesday, the two teams met again with a trophy on the line, as both side squared off in the Campeones Cup, a one-game playoff between the MLS Cup winner and the Liga Mx winner from both leagues’ respective seasons. Despite this match being played in the comfort of BMO Stadium, the end result was all the same, much to Tigres’ liking. Tigres and LAFC played to a scoreless draw, then won the match in the penalty shootout, as Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzmán stopped two penalties to earn the 4-2 shootout win.
Tigres had the game’s first great chance in the 12th minute, as Luis Quinones first dispossessed Mateusz Bogush deep inside LAFC’s half of the field, then launched a left-footed volley from the right side from about 27 yards that looked like it had a chance to sneak at the near post corner just below the crossbar, but LAFC keeper Maxime Crepeau nullified any though that that happening, as he parried the ball with his right hand over the framework and out of bounds.
LAFC turned up its pressure in the second half. Cristian Olivera received a ball from Diego Palacios in the 60th minute and broke for goal, dribbling down the left side into the penalty area before firing a shot at goal, but the Guzman got his left hand on the ball and parried it over the end line, which turned out to be crucial, as Carlos Vela was lurking in the middle lane and might have been able to tap in a rebound chance had the ball found his feet. Then in the 67th minute, Vela played a ball forward to Denis Bouanga, who then touched into the penalty area and fired a shot that deflected off Tigres defender Guido Pizzaro and looked like it might sneak in at the near post, but it just missed.
LAFC thought for sure they had taken the lead in the 78th minute. Following a free kick, Timothy Tillman played a ball to Bouanga, who outmaneuvered his marker, defender Javier Aquino, to get to the ball and eventually into the penalty area. Bouanga then deked Diego Reyes before firing a shot that beat Guzman far post to seemingly give LAFC the lead. However, Tigres protested, claiming that on the restart, Giorgio Chiellini touched the ball, then restarted action. Referee Drew Fischer agreed with Tigres, and replay did confirm the actions, though VAR was not used. Nevertheless, the goal was disallowed.
Tigres themselves had a chance to win in regulation in a wild sequence. Gignac sent a cross towards the six-yard box that took a deflection, but still got inside the six, Crepeau beat Quinones to the ball, though it still remained inside the six, Nicolas Ibanez kept the ball in play, Juan Vigon took a shot that was blocked by Sanchez, Tigres kept the ball inside the penalty area long enough to get one more shot, but Gignac sent the ball wide right.
Prior to the shootout, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo replaced Crepeau with John McCarthy hoping he could replicate the performance that won last year’s MLS Cup. It was not to be however, as all four of Tigres’ penalty takers, Gignac, Ibanez, Pizzaro and Jesús Alberto Angulo converted their penalties, while it was Guzman that played the role of stopper between the pipes, as he stopped Tillman and Hollingshead to pace Tigres.
Both teams also finished with 10 men, as LAFC’s Diego Palacios earned two yellow cards and Tigres’ Rafael Carioca earned a straight red in the 85th minute after he gave a ball away to Bouanga, then low-bridged him as he tried to break away, and since Carioca was the last defender between him and Bouanga, Fischer judged the call a breakaway foul.
