Columbus Crew and Tigres UANL battled to a 1-1 draw in a scintillating opening leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals at Lower.com Field Tuesday night.
The second leg will be played April 9 at Estadio Universitario. The winner meets either Inter Miami CF or CF Monterrey in the semifinals in late April.
In a match delayed two hours due to thunderstorms, Tigres UANL struck first when André-Pierre Gignac latched onto a Diego Lainez chipped cross and cushioned a glancing header inside the far post in the 18th minute. It was his 19th goal all-time in the competition.
Gignac's goal came one minute after Marino Hinestroza, who arrived in Columbus via a transfer from Liga MX side Pachuca, fired just wide of the far post.
The Crew, playing without star forward Cucho Hernández for a second straight match due to "team policy," per manager Wilfried Nancy, pushed for the equalizer. Diego Rossi found it two minutes before halftime, turning and scoring his first goal of the season off the far post after Aidan Morris forced a turnover off the press.
The Crew pushed the envelope, had more possession and dominated in shot attempts, but they were reduced to 10 men in the 77th minute when Morris was sent off for his second bookable offense in the span of two minutes.
Still, Columbus had a chance to score the late winner on a long run by Rossi that led to a 2-on-1, but his cross for Jacen Russell-Rowe was off the mark.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Well, this one lived up to the advanced billing and, despite the two-hour delay for the opening kickoff, showcased two of the region’s best going toe to toe. The Crew hope they don’t rue missed chances to take an advantage back to Monterrey.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Rossi’s first goal of the 2024 season was not only big on the night, but could prove massive going forward.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Hinestroza is certainly comfortable playing Tigres and was a menace throughout his shift, unfortunate not to have a goal for his efforts.
Next Up
- CLB: Saturday, April 6 vs. D.C. United (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) | MLS regular season
- TIG: Saturday, April 6 vs. Pachuca (9 pm ET) | Liga MX Clausura
