Tigres UANL Edge Inter Miami in Leagues Cup Thriller
In a thrilling encounter at NRG Stadium, Liga MX giants Tigres UANL came out on top against Inter Miami, securing a 2-1 victory in the Leagues Cup group stage. Juan Brunetta and Juan Pablo Vigon were the heroes for Tigres, while Leo Campana’s penalty goal was a highlight for the Herons.
How the Game Unfolded
Inter Miami started strong, peppering shots at Nahuel Guzman’s goal, but the veteran goalkeeper was equal to the task. Tigres broke the deadlock in the 18th minute through Brunetta, who pounced on a defensive error by Tomas Aviles. The midfielder’s stunning volleyed strike left Drake Callender with no chance.
Miami continued to push for an equalizer, with Julian Gressel and Leo Campana causing problems for the Tigres defense. However, it wasn’t until the 72nd minute that the Herons got their reward, as Campana converted a penalty to level the score.
The game was turned on its head in the final minutes of regulation, as substitute Vigon found himself with space inside the penalty area and fired a shot in off the crossbar to put Tigres back in front.
Player Ratings
- Drake Callender (GK): 6/10 – Not the best positioning on Brunetta’s strike, but not much he could’ve done on Vigon’s winner.
- Marcelo Weigandt (RB): 6/10 – Displayed strong link-up play down the right-hand side with Campana and Gressel.
- Tomas Aviles (CB): 7/10 – Solid outside of his poor attempted pass to Rojas that led to the opening goal.
- Hector Martinez (CB): 7/10 – Stood tall and defended valiantly alongside Aviles.
- Jordi Alba (LB): 6/10 – Sent in a sizzling strike from outside the box that was destined to reach the back of the net before it was deflected over by a Tigres player.
- Matias Rojas (CM): 6/10 – Didn’t get many looks in front of goal, but played his part in connecting the backline to the frontline.
- Yannick Bright (CM): 7/10 – Shined throughout the match in the middle of the park.
- Federico Redondo (CM): 7/10 – Improved showing from the young midfielder.
- Julian Gressel (RW): 6/10 – Teed up Campana for a great chance early on, but didn’t do much outside of that.
- Leo Campana (ST): 8/10 – Started strong and really came alive in the second half, converting a penalty to level the score.
- Robert Taylor (LW): 6/10 – Quiet first half, but didn’t get much going in the second 45.
Substitutes
- Sergio Busquets (69′ for Bright): N/A
- Franco Negri (69′ for Alba): N/A
- David Ruiz (69′ for Gressel): N/A
- Leo Afonso (69′ for Taylor): N/A
- Serhiy Kryvtsov (81′ for Martinez): 5/10 – Weak clearance in front of his own goal led to Vigon’s strike.
Manager
Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino: 6/10 – It wasn’t a bad performance by any means from Miami, especially considering they were up against one of the tournament favorites without a few important players. However, Miami still have one of the strongest squads overall and perhaps could’ve done a little more to really put the pressure on Tigres.
Follow us on all social media platforms for more updates