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Queretaro 0-0 UANL Tigres: Scoreless stalemate favors away side
A scoreless draw favors Tigres, which holds the tiebreaker going into the second leg of the Apertura semifinal.
Dec 1, 2011 10:03:00 PM
By Nick Rosano
Though both sides had looks at goal, neither goalkeeper was seriously tested. Each team has now conceded just one goal in the past five matches. The stalemate gives Tigres a slight advantage going into the second, which it will play at home.
Queretaro made no changes in goal to the team that drew Chivas 0-0, with Liborio Sanchez keeping his place after a stunning performance in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, Tigres made just one change to the lineup that saw it defeat Pachuca 3-0, with Jesus Alberto Dueñas making way for former Fulham man Carlos Salcido's return to the lineup.
Queretaro, knowing its best chance in the series would come at home, started the more aggressive of the two sides, playing a lot of the game in Tigres' half.
Sanchez had to be aware on the other end given Tigres' ability to attack with relatively few men, and he made an alert save on Hector Mancilla midway through the first half as both sides looked reluctant to commit many men forward.
There was some acrimony as the game hit the half-hour mark as Adolfo Bautista had the ball in the back of the net. But his effort was pulled back for offside, sparking a negative reaction among the Queretaro players. Replays showed, however, that it was the correct call.
Bautista then had another chance as the half drew to a close, but rolled his shot just wide. Queretaro's top scorer, Carlos Bueno had a chance taken away from him by a well-timed Hugo Ayala tackle at the stroke of halftime.
Queretaro continued to put pressure on Palos, with Emilio Lopez connecting on a bicycle kick and Marco Jimenez finding the target from long range, though both efforts were too close to the Tigres goalkeeper.
Sanchez was called into action after the hour mark when Mancilla laid off for Jorge Torres Nilo to shoot on target, only for the Queretaro goalkeeper to come up with the ball. Minutes later, he did well to take away the ball from the feet of Damian Alvarez, with the Argentine through on goal.
Tigres looked to take a few more chances as the game started to draw to a close. The Argentine pair of Alvarez and Lucas Lobos gave Quertaro's defense plenty to think about.
Both goalkeepers had to come up with important saves in injury time. Palos did well to stop Amaury Ponce, and Sanchez barely stopped a goal on the other end.
The 0-0 draw means that Tigres, with the tiebreaker on its side, has a slight advantage for this weekend's second leg, which it will play at home.
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