FRISCO, Texas - Tigres UANL climbed back into the hunt for a spot in Copa Libertadores by beating Necaxa 3-2 in the first game of an InterLiga doubleheader at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, Saturday night.
It was a wild first half, as the clubs combined for four goals before the break. After Walter Gaitan and Sixto Peralta put Tigres up 2-0 in the first quarter-hour, Necaxa fought back over the next 21 minutes with strikes from Ariel Lopez and Fabiano Pereira. The comeback was all for naught, though, as Aldo de Nigris put Tigres ahead for good in the 66th-minute with his fourth goal of the tournament.
Tigres wasted no time getting into the action as Walter Gaitan took a free kick to the left of the arc, but Necaxa 'keeper Ivan Vazquez rose to the occasion to block the shot. The ball then dropped to the feet of Peralta, but his left-footed lunge sailed well clear of the frame.
Gaitan got the scoring started in the 12th after teammate Omar Briceño's shot banged off the crossbar and back into play. A Tigres attempt to head the ball back toward the goal was handled by Necaxa defender Mario Perez, and referee Abbey Okulaja awarded Tigres a penalty. Gaitan easily slotted the spot kick past Vasquez, who dove the wrong way on the play.
Poor marking by Necaxa allowed Tigres to double the score in the 15th minute as Peralta received an in-swinger and put his shot past the 'keeper to give the club from Monterrey a commanding 2-0 lead. But Lopez put Necaxa back into the game in the 18th minute, scoring with a right-footed shot inside the box past the diving Tigers keeper Rogelio Rodriguez.
Pereira then leveled the match for Necaxa in the 36th minute with an astonishing curling shot that got past Rodriguez and deflected off the post and in to tie the score 2-2.
Tigres looked a bit shaken after the second goal, moments later giving Necaxa a free kick outside the box and to the right, but Moreno's shot sailed high. In the waning minutes of the first half, though, Tigres came back to life with a series of shots. Their efforts, however, were unrewarded.
De Nigris provided the game-winner for Tigres in the 66th minute. Some nice passing and a header from Gaitan into space for Aido de Nigris to run onto led to the latter's left-footed shot, which found the net at the far post to give Tigres a 3-2 lead.
Tigres secured their defense and the win in the final 20 minutes, building a fortress that Necaxa was unable to penetrate to stay in the InterLiga race. Tigres will face Cruz Azul in their final match of the group stage on Tuesday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (9 p.m. ET; FSE), while Necaxa will play Chivas on the same night at the same venue (11:15 p.m. ET; FSE).
Ron Goode is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
Tigres UANL 3, Necaxa 2
01.07.2006: Dallas, Texas; Pizza Hut Park
Attendance: TBA
Scoring summary:
TIG - W. Gaitan 12', Sixto Peralta 15', Aldo de Nigris 65'
NEC - Ariel Lopez 18', Fabiano Pereira 36'
TIG: 25-Rogelio Rodriguez, 5-Julio Cesar Santos, 3-Sydney Balderas, 6-Omar Briceño, 23-Javier Saavedra (17-Jesus Palacios 73') , 13-Antonio Sancho, 28-Carlos A. Morales (21-Jamie Lozano 90+), 18-Sixto Peralta, 10-Walter Gaitan, 22-Nestor Silvera, 11-Aldo De Nigris (19-Juan Montano, 79')
DNP: 1-Edgar Hernandez, 54-Luis Angel Garcia, 57-Enrique Escudero, 53-Jesus Chavez
Head coach: Ricardo Ferreti
NEC: 1-Ivan Vazquez, 6-Salvador Cabrera (24-Mario Padilla 90+'), 13-Omar Hernandez, 14-Mario Perez, 21-Rodolfo Espinosa, 20-Jose Alberto Hernandez (19-Tressor Moreno 70'), 8-Fabien Pena, 17-Fabiano Pereira, 15-Miguel A. Perez, 11-Ariel Lopez, 10-Alfredo Moreno
DNP: 16-Carlos Gonzalez, 18-Victor Ruiz, 33-Aldo Diaz, 5-Victor Gutierrez, 69-Luis Antonio Valdez
Head caoch: Enrique Lopez
Cingular Man of the Match: Walter Gaitan, Tigres
Booked:
TIG - Sydney Balderas 80'
NEC -Rodolfo Espinosa 59'
Sent off: None
Statistics
TIG NEC
Goal Attempts 15 9
Saves 1 4
Fouls 14 15
Corners 1 5
Offsides 5 10
R: Abbey Okulaja (USA)
A1: Greg Barkey (USA)
A2: Kyle Borne (USA)
FO: Terry Vaughn (USA)
