Real Salt Lake ran out of gas at the end and Tigres U.A.N.L power through to win 2-0 on Wednesday at the Estadio Univesitario. The Mexican powerhouse is now in control of the series after game one of the quarterfinals in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL).

Tigres’s defender José Rivas headed in the game winning goal in the 67th minute. Brazilian forward Rafael Sóbis took the free kick from more then 20-yards-out. He placed the ball inside the penalty box were Rivas was completing his run.The ball then dropped right into his path and the 31-year-old defender changed the direction of the ball with his head. He headed the ball to the bottom right hand corner of the net to give Tigres the 1-0 lead.

Los Universitarios had finally broken through and the game appeared to be over as the Royals were running out of gas. However, in the first half RSL was more then up for the challenge.

REAL SALT LAKE START THE MATCH FEARLESS AGAINST TIGRES

In the first 45 minutes the Claret and Cobalt went toe to toe with Tigres. RSL created eight of their 12 shots in the first half. They outshot the Mexican powerhouse by one. However, the Royals main problem was that they only managed to place five of their shots on target. Tigres’s goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman stopped all of RSL shots, as he finished the match with five saves.  

Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan fighting to control the ball against  a Tigres U.A.N.L player on Wednesday quarterfinal clash. Photo provided by Miguel Sierra-EFE via USA TODAY Sports.
Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan fighting to control the ball against a Tigres U.A.N.L player on Wednesday quarterfinal clash. Photo provided by Miguel Sierra-EFE via USA TODAY Sports.

Real was able to deny the home club a golden chance of taking the lead in the stoppage time of the first half. French international striker André-Pierre Gignac was going to take a penalty. The 30-year-old striker fired a shot and RSL’s keeper Nick Rimando smothered the penalty and kept the game a scoreless draw. However, RSL’s energy began to waver as the game went on.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES, TIGRES DOMINATE THE FINAL 45 MINUTES

RSL strategy went from possibly stealing three points to attempting to slug out a draw. The game became physical as there was a combined 42 tackles completed, 25 fouls called and four yellow cards shown in the match.

However, in the end Tigres class prevailed. In the second half the Mexican club outshot RSL 12 to four. Finally Rivas headed in the first goal to break the deadlock, and then right before the match ended Jurgen Damm sealed the victory.

Jurgen Damm celebrating his goal against Real Salt Lake on Wesndesday in the first leg of the quarterfinal of the CCL. Photo provided by ESPN FC.
Jurgen Damm celebrating his goal against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in the first leg of the quarterfinal series of the CCL. Photo provided by ESPN FC.

The Mexican international was persistent in the play leading to the goal. Rivas sent in a cross to the center of the box were Damm was waiting. The 23-year-old midfielder wasted no time and fired a powerful shot heading towards the back of the net. RSL’s midfielder Kyle Beckerman rushed back and cleared the ball right before it crossed the goal line.

However, Beckerman was not able to completely clear the ball out of the danger area. Damm followed the play and toe poked the ball into the back of the net to secure the 2-0 victory in the 86th minute.

With this result the Royals now find themselves in a hole down two goals. The only positive part for RSL is that the final leg of the series will be played at home.

Regardless, where they play at the Claret and Cobalt will need to win by at least a score of 2-0 to play it safe. However, only a three goal victory will guarantee them passage to the semifinals without needing extra time or penalties. The second leg will be next Wednesday at the Rio Tinto Stadium

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About the author
Jorge Belon
My name is Jorge Belon. I’m a writer for VAVEL USA and VAVEL UK. My focus is on soccer. Throughout the years I have created different blogs all revolving around soccer. My first was Mr. JB Soccer in 2012. Now I currently operate Belon Soccer News (BSN), where I cover soccer mostly from North America and international tournaments. I am a college at Los Angeles Valley College. I was a part of the college newspaper, The Valley Star for two years. At the Star I held the position of Sports Editor, News Editor, Managing Editor and Editor in Chief. I have been writing about soccer for the past three years. I have covered: Major League Soccer, Gold Cup, Under-20 Men’s World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Men’s World Cup and many more.