Tigres win the 2023 Clausura championship and the fifth Liga MX title since 2015
After defeating Chivas 3-2 in overtime on Sunday in the second leg of the 2023 Clausura final, Tigres won their eighth Liga MX championship. Tigres turned things around by winning their sixth league championship in the previous ten years after a turbulent season that saw three new managers since February.
After the first game ended in a scoreless draw, Chivas took the lead at home in the second leg, which was played at a sold-out Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. Midfielder Roberto “Piojo” Alvarado scored a mid-range goal for Chivas in the 11th minute after taking an aggressive offensive stance. Los Rojiblancos were reenergized by the goal and the cheers from the spectators, and they quickly scored again. Victor Guzman, a captain for Chivas, slid the ball past Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman with a brilliantly timed cross from Alvarado off a corner in the 20th minute to give Chivas a 2-0 lead.
When Tigres manager Robert Dante Siboldi introduced substitutes like Nicolas “Diente” Lopez, Fernando Gorriaran, and Nicolas Ibaez, Chivas’ defensive performance immediately started to deteriorate. Los Felinos managed to claw back by stepping up their offensive pressure.
Tigres’ deficit was reduced to 2-1 by a penalty kick in the 65th minute by attacker Andre-Pierre Gignac following a handball by Chivas defender Antonio Briseo. Sebastian Cordova, a midfielder for Tigres, made it 2-2 in the 71st minute with a perfectly placed header off of a cross from Javier Aquino.
The game ended in a 2-2 draw in regulation time, with both teams displaying indications of tiredness and fatigue. The first half of extra time saw the Tigres being more active, but they were unable to convert their opportunities. Guido Pizarro’s deflected header in the 110th minute of the second half gave Tigres a 3-2 lead after they eventually scored.
Sebastian Cordova, a Tigres midfielder, seized the ball after falling to the ground late in the game in an effort to keep the lead. This earned him a second yellow card, which left his side with just 10 players with a few minutes remaining.
Even so, Chivas didn’t pose much of a threat before eventually going down to 10 players when Gilberto “Tiba” Sepulveda received a second caution in the 120th minute. The final whistle was blown shortly after, making Tigres the Liga MX champions for the Clausura competition.
