The Tigres team became the first finalist of the 2023 Clausura Tournament by beating Monterrey 2-1 on aggregate.
Those led by coach Robert Dante Siboldi entered the BBVA field to measure forces against La Pandilla. In a boring game with few emotions, at minute 79′ the best player of the Tigres, Sebastián Córdova, appeared to score a header and thus score the goal that put them into the grand final.
Now the university students are waiting for a rival in the match between América and Chivas, where they will be playing the defining match as a visitor.
This was the path of Tigres to reach the grand final
On matchday 1 of the Clausura 2023, the Tigres led by the new coach Diego Cocca, entered the TSM Corona field to face Santos Laguna. The cats started on the right foot and thrashed 3-0 with goals from Diego Reyes, Gignac and Luis Quiñones. A promising future was seen at the helm of the Argentine coach.
For the second date, once again the university team used its powerful arsenal to achieve its second win of the tournament, now beating Pachuca 4-1 with scores from Gorriarán, Gignac and a double from Quiñones.
However, doubts began to arise, because after 3 victories and 2 draws, coach Diego Cocca accepted the proposal by the high command of the federation to take over the reins of the Mexican team, a situation that annoyed the Tigres executives who did not hesitate to thank him.
That was how coach Marco Antonio Ruíz arrived as interim. The strategist became the first option for those with long feline pants and in his first match in charge of the team he defeated the Pumas 4-2, starting with former soccer player Anselmo Vendrechovski Junior.
The first setback of the tournament for the Tigres team came on matchday 9, when they received the always uncomfortable visit from the Chivasa team that won 2-1 and thus handed the defeat to the ‘Chima’ Ruíz team.
After a lackluster defeat against Necaxa by the slightest difference on matchday 10, a series of defeats came that made clear the bad moment of the team. Tigres lost to América (0-2), to Monterrey (0-1), Toluca (3-2) and Mazatlán (1-2).
To top it all off, and what ended up sentencing ‘Chima’ Ruíz in his ephemeral tenure at the helm of Tigres, was the defeat against his staunch rival in the Clásico Regio. On date 12 Rayados entered the Universitario field and with a goal from Luis Romo he took the three points in the northern derby.
After four consecutive defeats, ‘Chima’ Ruíz’s last game in front of Tigres was on April 8, in a matchday 14 match, when they hosted the last team in the overall standings, Mazatlán, who rang the bell and defeated 2-1 at home to the cats. After this commitment, the dismissal of the Mexican helmsman was announced.
The coach who took the reins of Tigres was the Uruguayan Robert Dante Siboldi. The technical director was the target of various criticisms from a considerable sector of fans, who did not see him as having the necessary experience for a team like the ‘U’. His first game was a goalless draw against Querétaro.
There were only three games that Siboldi had to get Tigres into the Mexican soccer playoffs, drawing against Querétaro (0-0), beating Puebla (1-0) and losing to León (3-0). That was how they managed to sneak into the reclassification where they would face Puebla.
The continuity of Robert Dante Siboldi was almost an illusion. The managers did not forgive that they could not advance to the final of the Concachampions, losing to León. The high command were clear, Siboldi had to leave at the end of the Clausura 2023, with the only exception of reaching the grand final, something that seemed almost impossible.
Robert Dante Siboldi was more than conditioned, if Tigres did not advance to the Clausura league, he would leave early. However, they managed to defeat Puebla, although not without difficulties, with a goal from Sebastián Córdova, who from that moment resumed his level of play.
Already established in the Fiesta Grande, the rival to beat were the Red Devils of Toluca. The cats came to this match as the expert in sweets and without being the favourites, however, in the first leg at Universitario, they played a dream match, and won 4-1, with goals from Córdova, Gignac, Vigón and López, thus having a foot and a half in the semifinal.
When it seemed that they had everything ready to settle at the Nemesio Díez, the Toluca team made use of all its potential and demonstrated that its stadium weighs, to have the university students on the ropes by a score of 3-0. Tigres never showed any reaction, although they took advantage of an opponent’s defensive error to score the goal and reach the semifinal, in a pure miracle victory.
Now for the semifinal, they had to face their staunch rival, Rayados de Monterrey, in one more edition of the Clásico Regio. Again for this game they were not the favourites, and in the first leg they tied 1-1 coming from behind, with a score by Sebastián Córdova. Everything would be defined for the return.
For the return match, when it seemed that they were eliminated in a 0-0 draw with few emotions, the best footballer from Tigres, Sebastián Córdova, had to appear to finish off with a header from a precise pass from Luis Quiñones, silencing BBVA and obtaining his pass to the grand final.
The Tigres team is only 180 minutes away from being able to lift a new title in Mexican soccer. Now they await the rival of the game to be played between América and Chivas.
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