Tigres win Liga MX title on penalties after Pumas' epic second leg victory

Tigres UANL spent most of this night buckling under weight of expectation. Pumas UNAM produced a performance for the ages to punish them for it. Three Pumas goals erased the first leg advantage and forced extra time. Another late equalizer sent this dramatic final into penalties. Everything pointed toward an epic collapse, but redemption finally arrived at long last. Tigres pulled through at the last possible moment to secure a fourth Mexican title with a 4-2 victory on penalties after the final ended 4-4 on aggregate.

Israel Jiménez converted the winning penalty to cap a night created by Pumas’ resolute display of character. Eduardo Herrera threw Pumas a lifeline when he slotted home on the stroke of halftime and his teammates grabbed it with both hands. Matias Britos contorted home the second to set the stage for late substitute Silvio Torales’ critical third to force extra time after 87 minutes.

Pumas moved to the brink after Herrera procured a second booking on the stroke of full time and André-Pierre Gignac thrashed Tigres back in front on aggregate after 103 minutes. Alejandro Palacios’ stunning save on Gignac moments later and Hugo Ayala’s second booking four minutes from the end paved the way for one last twist. Gerardo Alcoba provided it when he punished Tigres’ poor defending from a long throw to send the final to penalties.

The epic comeback -- the first one to produce a three-goal response in the final in 30 years -- finally faltered at the critical moment. Pumas substitute Fidel Martinez missed the first penalty, while Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán redeemed himself by stopping Javier Cortés’ effort in the fourth round. Jiménez completed Tigres’ flawless quartet of penalties to deliver a first title since 2011.

Tigres entered this final with a comfortable three-goal lead and the desire to see out this second leg efficiently. Their superiority in possession afforded them a measure of comfort, while their defensive solidity hinted at a fairly straightforward task at Estadio Olimpico Universitario.

For most of the first half, those measures yielded the expected benefits. Tigres choked off the game and prevented Pumas from producing opportunities when moving quickly from back to front. There were few signs of the upheaval to follow. The early stages simply pointed toward a routine march to victory for a side expected to navigate this second leg with a minimum of fuss.

The expected procession to the Liga MX title veered off course on the stroke of halftime. Tigres managed the game superbly up until that juncture, but one cross from the right plunged everything into chaos. Guzmán hesitated when he surged off his line to collect a dangerous inswinging cross and missed the ball completely when he finally arrived. The remnants of the cross toward Britos eventually sat up nicely for Herrera to sweep home.

After spending the first half more or less in complete control, Tigres stumbled after conceding. The trademark composure and precision in possession wavered. Pumas gained confidence and pushed forward directly and earnestly with hope firmly restored. Vazquez even threw Martinez -- dropped for this game after an ineffectual  performance on Thursday -- into the fray in a bid to take full advantage of the renewed impetus.

Martinez paved the way for the second by exploiting Tigres’ sudden and unexpected vulnerability to crosses. His curling, menacing delivery from the left caught the Tigres back four flatfooted. Britos drifted free as Tigres struggled to react and turned his header across the face of goal. Guzman attempted to adjust his feet to make the save, but he stumbled on the way and watched hopelessly as the second goal nestled in the back of the net.

Tigres manager Tuca Ferretti betrayed the worries in the Tigres’ camp on his face. There were genuine concerns about throwing away a three-goal lead after exhibiting such defiance over the past several games. Former U.S. midfielder José Torres replaced Rafael Sobis to increase the numbers in midfield and strengthen the resolve for the final half-hour.

Those measures stemmed the tide a little, but Pumas wielded their superiority nevertheless. Herrera scuffed a presentable chance wide just after the hour when he probably needed to test Guzman yet again, while Guzman tended to his near post moments later as Tigres steered toward safer ground. Those efforts petered out even as Ferretti threw Arevalo Rios into the fray in a bid to close out the game. Pumas persisted until finally procuring the equalizer necessary to send the match into extra time.

Once again, Tigres’ issues stemmed from vulnerability in the air. Antonio Briseño recovered well to prevent Britos from nodding home at the far post, but Briseño turned out for a corner in the process. The resulting service from the right corner paved the way for substitute Torales to climb over his marker and nod down the equalizer.

Pumas nearly capped this stunning night with one last flourish in regular time. Martinez drifted behind the line and headed back across the goal, but Guzman flashed out his left hand to push away his effort. Briseño recovered to ensure the ball did not trickle over the line. Herrera tried in vain to prevent the clearance and trundle into the net, but he caught Briseño and received his second booking to reduce Pumas to 10 men as the match entered extra time.

Martinez nearly caught out Guzman with the opening kick in extra time, but the hopeful effort -- pushed around the post at the very last moment -- proved a false signal until the latter stages of extra time. Tigres asserted control with their numerical superiority and placed Pumas under considerable pressure.

The defiance finally broke after 103 minutes with Gignac once again at the heart of it. Gignac did well to pull down the cross and meander around his marker. His rasping finish inside the near post provided a measure of relief after Tigres’ second-half collapse and pointed the way toward the victory at last.

It did not prove quite that easy, though. Palacios denied Gignac a second with a fantastic save as Tigres attempted to place the game beyond reach. Palacios’ block sparked one last response from Pumas. Ismael Sosa forced a fine block from Guzman before Ayala drew a second booking for a tackle at midfield.

Ayala’s absence proved critical as Pumas procured an equalizer from a long throw to send the match into penalties. The entire sequence -- from the giveaway to concede the throw to the first flick to the failure to clear -- underscored Tigres’ defensive frailties on the evening. Alcoba prodded home from six yards to send the match into penalties.

The revival act finally faltered there as Martinez hit his penalty wide to establish the tone for Pumas' eventual heartache. Gignac held his nerve to give Tigres a lead they would not relinquish. Guzman stopped Cortés’ effort in the fourth round to set the stage for Jimenez to smash home the winner and seal Tigres’ fourth title at long last.