Tigres advances to Concacaf quarterfinals on away goals, ousts Orlando City
Needing a victory to advance to the quarterfinal of the Concacaf Champions League, Orlando City rallied but finished with a 1-1 draw against Tigres UANL on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium during the second leg of the Round of 16.
Sebastian Cordova scored early for the visitors, but a goal prior to stoppage time from Ercan Kara leveled the score for the Lions before the match ended, granting the Mexican side a slot to the next round through the away-goals tiebreaker.
“We are proud of the effort that we showed during the game. Obviously the emotions are out there, and it’s much better to wait and calm down and evaluate things,” Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja said. “The message was short, expressing our pride for the effort they made during the game. They played against a good rival, and we were there, so we move on but are also upset.”
Five minutes of added time extended the game after Kara’s goal and a miss from rookie Duncan McGuire in the last play of the game was followed by a postgame brawl on the field. Pareja was issued a red card by referee Said Martinez.
The melee continued into the players’ tunnel and before the locker rooms. Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese had to be pulled back from the tussle.
Pareja lamented the officiating shortly after, saying Tigres players wasted time during the stoppage time portion of the match, pausing play at various points.
“We scored in the 89th minute and between 89th and 97th, there were four minutes and 50 seconds that they did not play the game. They didn’t allow us to play the game,” Pareja said. “Whether it was because the goalkeeper wasn’t playing, not restarting, substitutions and even the celebration of the goal, so they need to understand that.
“They give five minutes but they are wasting time, and they need to add more time,” the coach added. “We are respectful, and I want to say again, but we’re not stupid. We’re not … we’re competing, and they need to realize that.”
Last week’s first leg in Monterrey, Mexico, ended scoreless. Wednesday’s match at Exploria Stadium had an announced attendance of 21,112.
Gallese finished with 7 saves, including a crucial stop in the 52nd minute to deny a direct free kick from Fernando Gorriaran.
Orlando had two chances to score in the first half. The first came in the 19th minute when Ivan Angulo hit a volley wide. The second was before halftime when Ramiro Enrique’s shot from close was blocked by Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzman.
The Lions will back in action on Saturday when they take on Charlotte FC at Exploria Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The game will stream live on the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
