He tigers de México took a firm step in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League by beating 0-1 motagua of Honduras, in the first leg disputed in San Pedro Sula, northern Honduras.
The first half went back and forth, with the Águilas del Motagua looking to get ahead, against an opponent who also wanted to score early. Motagua played a fast, orderly game on their lines, but their attackers, Eddie Hernández and Iván López, were off the mark.
In the 9th minute, the Motagua goalkeeper, Marlon Licona, blocked a powerful shot from Nicolás López. Los Tigres played fast football, with Diego Lainez and André Pierre Gignac reaching the area, but without much freedom due to the marking of the Honduran rival.
Licona, in another good intervention, prevented his goal from falling by blocking a shot from André Pierre Gignac in the 30th minute. The Mexican club, which exerted more pressure in the last ten minutes of the first half, took the lead in the 43rd minute through the Colombian Luis Quiñones, who finished off a ball badly rejected by Licona after a corner kick.
In the second half, the two teams came out with the same intensity, with Motagua forced to come back, but with the Tigres taking greater danger and possession of the ball. In the 47th minute, Licona caught a direct shot from outside the area by Nicolás López, and in the 50th minute, in another great save, he sent a new attack from the visiting team to the corner kick.
The few occasions in which Motagua reached Tigres’ area in his attempt to salvage the game were interrupted by the rival defense, which had less work than in the first half. The Mexican team sought to increase the score with counterattack plays, forcing the Motagua to give himself more in defense.
In the 70th minute, Motagua had already made their five substitutions, but their attack did not improve, nor did they make a direct shot at the opponent’s goal. The defeat leaves Motagua uphill, who will travel to Mexico next week for the second leg forced to come back against a Tigres with the advantage of the double goal as a visitor.
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