TIJUANA, BC.- Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente played to a 2-2 tie against Club Atletico Mineiro of Brazil in a quarterfinals first leg match of the 2013 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores Thursday night at Estadio Caliente.
The Xoloitzcuintles squandered a 2-0 lead allowing two second half goals. Diego Tardelli and second half substitute Luan Gedeao de Paiva scored for Atletico Mineiro to even the home-and-home series aggregate score.
Colombian striker Duvier Riascos (32nd minute) and Ecuadorian striker Fidel Martinez (53rd) scored for the Xoloitzcuintles.
Riascos sent a ball from near the right post past Atletico Mineiro goalkeeper Victor Leandro Bagy into the lower right corner of the net for the 1-0 Club Tijuana lead.
Martinez gave the Xoloitzcuintles a 2-0 lead after poking in a shot off the right side of the Atletico Mineiro defense. Martinez took the rebound off an Alfredo Moreno shot that was punched away by Bagy.
The Xoloitzcuintles were able to covert these goals after coming out looking to pressure Atletico Mineiro. Coach Antonio Mohamed's scheme helped Club Tijuana maintain control of the ball for most of the first half and kept the Brazilians unbalanced until the visitors found an answer.
"We made some mistakes. I am sad because of the result. This could have been a 3-0 or 4-1 game," Mohamed said. "We needed more goals and we couldn't score them. We are sad today but we are alive. We won't be sad tomorrow. We have some days to recover. We know we were better and we will never give up."
Tardelli scored for Atletico Mineiro in the 61st minute when he sent a ball past Club Tijuana goalkeeper Cirilo Saucedo on a rebounded shot.
Club Tijuana maintained the lead until the final seconds of the match. The Brazilians tied the game moments before the final whistle when de Paiva beat defender Javier Gandolfi to the ball on a pass by Tardelli and sent a shot past Saucedo from just inside the penalty box.
Both teams will take the tie to Belo Horizonte where Club Tijuana will visit Atletico Mineiro Thursday May 30 in the second leg of the home-and-home series at Independencia Stadium.
editorial@sandiegored.com
