The recently crown CONCACAF Champion (for third consecutive year) Rayados of Monterrey obtained an important 1-0 win over their neighbors and biggest rivals Tigres. The game which was celebrated in the home of the blue and white stripes was the for the first leg of the quarterfinals in the Liga MX. The lone goal came from Chilean international Humberto Suazo.
Tigres came in to this match as the heavy favorites against their city rivals after finishing the regular season at the top of the table. Monterrey by contrast finished in ninth place and is only participating in the playoffs because the eighth seed Queretaro were relegated and not allowed to participate.
Monterrey manager Victor Manuel Vucetich left Mexican striker Aldo de Nigris on the bench and opted for more presence in the midfield. Monterrey always seemed more dynamic than their counterparts in the first half. Monterrey attacked with speed and took advantage of some rare spaces left by the Tigres midfielders and defenders.
The lone came in the 18th minute of the first half when in a fast play the cross came in from the left side of the field and Humberto Suazo appeared in the box to volley the ball past Tigres goalkeeper Enrique Palos.
In the second half Tigres came out with everything they had in search of an equalizer. Monterrey conceded possession to their rivals, the Rayados knew that Tigres would be out in full force and decided to concentrate on shutting down the Tigres attacks.
With the complacency of Monterrey, Tigres started to play much better. Monterrey Jonathan Orozco was forced into several big saves. So much so that he was named Man of the Match by the television network in the U.S.
Monterrey always looked for speedy counter attacks but their midfielders always remained focused on defense. The fact that Tigres did not get an away goal is another small victory.
Tigres will be playing out of their comfort zone in the return match due to the fact that they will need to chase the game. A 1-0 win will be enough for Tigres to advance due to their higher table position, but if Monterrey grab an away goal Tigres will need to win by a two goal difference.
The return game is scheduled for Saturday evening at 7:00 PM local time (5:00 PM pacific)
jonny.rico@sandiegored.com
