The extreme weather in Hamilton, Ontario, not only chilled the atmosphere, but also put a damper on Tigres’ strength. The Liga MX team drew 0-0 against Forge FC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup, a result that left mixed feelings for the Mexican team, who were overwhelming favorites in the playoffs.
Despite dominating possession for a large part of the match, Tigres – led by Guido Pizarro – was unable to translate its superiority into a score. Forge FC, a club with little international experience and a negative record against Mexican teams, opted for a low block, defensive order and the inspiration of their goalkeeper Christopher Kalongo, who ended up being the star of the match.
Tigres dominated and generated danger
The first clear opportunity for Tigres came at minute 8.
This was when Marcelo Flores broke down the flank and assisted Juan Pablo Vigón, whose shot went over the goal.
From that point on, Tigres insisted with constant arrivals, but without the necessary precision.
André-Pierre Gignac tried a mid-range shot and Flores tried a shot from close range, both of which were blocked by Kalongo.
The Canadian team barely managed to trouble Nahuel Guzmán, although in an isolated action in the first half, the Argentine goalkeeper had to do his best to avoid a local surprise.
In the second half, the feline dominance was even more marked.
Juan Brunetta and Vigón tried to break the deadlock, but again they came up against an inspired Kalongo.
In the 65th minute, Brunetta appeared to open the scoring, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, keeping the score level.
Forge was close to a surprise
A result that left mixed feelings for the Mexican team
QuéOnnda.com
El Forge came close to pulling off the upset down the stretch.
This was when Rezart Rama won a header that went just over the crossbar, setting off alarm bells in the Monterrey team.
The result leaves the series wide open.
Unlike in previous editions, the away goal is no longer a tie-breaker in the Concacaf Champions Cup, so Tigres must win the second leg at the Universitario Stadium to advance to the next round.
Although extreme cold of up to -17 °C had been forecast, the match was played between -2 °C and -7 °C.
However, the wind chill dropped to -9°C, an unusual condition for a Mexican team, which affected the pace of the game.
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