Jaguares and Tigres premiered the Liga MX with a match held at Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna on July 21, the very first match of Week 1 of the new Liga MX. Unfortunately for the home fans, the Jaguares players apparently forgot that today was the first day of the Liga MX, because they played really, really bad. Tigres took full advantage of Jaguares’ disorganized play, and scored four goals, netting themselves their first three points of the Apertura 2012.
Tigres got off to a quick start, as Alan Pulido scored on a header off a perfectly placed corner kick in the 6th minute. Jaguares was stunned by the early goal, but attempted to regain control of the game by attacking through the flanks. However, Chiapas’ offense was ineffective, as they struggled in the final third of the field.
Juninho scored a fantastic goal for Tigres in the 19th minute, once again off a corner kick, he took a perfect shot on the 18-yard line, hitting the ball without letting it bounce. At this point, things looked bleak for the home team. They would look worse soon enough.
On the 35th minute, Lucas Lobos took a chance with a long distance shot, which unfortunately for Chiapas, took a deflection, which left Hernandez with no chance of stopping the ball. Just like that, Tigres was up 3-0 and in total control of the match.
In the 40th minute, Juninho made a perfect lob pass, leaving Viniegra in front of the goalie, Viniegra simply turned around and scored the fourth goal of the match for Tigres.
It was clear that there were two very different teams on the pitch. Tigres defended well, stopping all of the Chiapanecos’ chances, at the same time their attack was precise and lethal. Most of their offense originated from the center of the field, led by veteran midfielder Luca Lobos. Lobos played the type of match we have expected from him, becoming Tigres’ playmaker, taking a part in nearly all attacking plays. Overall, Tigres had plenty of space on the attack, and they clearly took advantage of it (take a look at the score).
On the other side, Jaguares was simply a mess, they were too lenient on defense, almost static at times, giving up way too much space. Their offense was slightly better (which isn’t saying much), using speed down the flanks in an attempt to pierce the Tigres goal. El Profe Cruz has a lot of work to do if he wants to turn this team around.
Overall, the match was so one-sided that it was a bit of a disappointment, but it’s always fun to see lots of goals. Tigres looked good and will most likely be a contender for the Liga MX title. If Jaguares continue playing like today, it is almost a certainty that el Profe Cruz will have a very short Apertura 2012.
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Jaguares Lineup: Hernandez, Fuentes, Martinez, Serrano, Corral, Noriega, Rodriguez, Rangel, Arizala, Ugarte, Rey.
Tigres Lineup: Palos, Juninho, Ayala, Torres, Moran, Toledo, Viniegra, Alvarez, Hernadez, Pulido, Lobos.
