CARSON, Calif. - The first game of the InterLiga 2006 finals pitted bitter rivals Monterrey against Tigres, marking the first time the two Mexican first division sides met in InterLiga play. Coupled with what was on stake in the game - a spot in the prestigious South American championship Copa Libertadores - made the match one with intense pressures.
The game delivered its promised drama as the two sides were knotted at 1-1 at the end of regulation, neededing overtime to decide the eventual winner. In the end it was Tigres that had the extra edge needed to book passage into the Copa Libertadores, powered by a Jaime Lozano goal just 26 seconds into the first overtime period.
The game was wide open from the very beginning and Monterrey struck in just the third minute to open the scoring.
Sebastian Gonzalez played an integral part in many of the Tigres attacks in the opening half, but his missed chance in the first minute was the best that Tigres could muster before the break. In the 46th minute, Gonzalez was taken out in favor of Aldo Di Nigris.
"I didn't play the whole game," commented Gonzalez following the game, "but the team making the Libertadores was the most important."
Tigres advanced against the odds, too. Not only was Monterrey one of the favorites to advance out of Interliga and into the Libertadores, but for the last 36 minutes of regulation, Tigres were a man down.
Still down a goal in the second half, Antonio Sancho picked up his second yellow card of the game and was sent off, leaving Tigres with just 10 men. At first it seemed as though Monterrey was going to put the game out of reach, but the team with the man advantage began to relax.
Tigres took full advantage and started to get forward more and more often until Walter Gaitan equalized for the shorthanded side in the 70th minute. From that point on all bets were off.
"We have a great team - a team that can compete for both the Libertadores and the season title in Mexico," said Lozano. "I think we showed that today. I think we showed how much we wanted to win, and I think it was deserved that we won."
Emotions did eventually boil over for Monterrey. In a span of eight minutes Reinaldo Navia collected two yellow cards (both in the second overtime) to even the teams up with 10 men on the field each. Overall there were 8 yellow cards and two ejections on the night, which should come as no surprise in a rivalry as intense as the one these teams share.
With 34 total shots taken in the game and 46 fouls committed, the numbers reflected the tenor of the game. It was a very attack minded strategy employed by both sides, which led to several scoring opportunities and forced defenders to foul to try and break up the oppositions rhythm.
At the end of the night the only number that mattered was one. Tigres was the team to advance out of the first final and into the Copa Libertadores. For Gonzalez it is a dream come true.
"It was a dream of mine to play in the Libertadores," he said. "I'm very excited and very happy. I think we showed how much we wanted it and that we deserved to win. We came to win, to go back to South America to play in the Libertadores."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
