Tijuana surpreende Tigres com dois gols nos minutos finais na estreia da Liga MX

Club Tijuana made a statement on opening night, grinding out a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Tigres UANL in front of their home crowd. The hosts came out with clear intent and took the lead through Raúl Árciga in the 31st minute, establishing early control of the match. Things took a dramatic turn before halftime when Tigres defender R. Aguirre received a straight red card in the 45th minute, leaving the visitors down to ten men heading into the interval.

The numerical disadvantage caught up with Tigres quickly in the second half. Oscar Herrera pulled one back with a goal in the 56th minute, drawing the visitors level and giving them hope of salvaging something from a difficult evening. The match descended into a scrappy affair from that point on, with both sides picking up yellows as tensions rose. Tijuana dominated possession in the final stages but struggled to find the decisive moment as full-time approached.

That breakthrough finally came in the dying moments. Mohamed El Ghezouani fired Tijuana ahead in the 90th minute to break the deadlock, then added a second from the penalty spot moments later to seal a remarkable turnaround. The dual strikes in stoppage time proved devastating for Tigres, who had battled hard despite their numerical disadvantage throughout the second half.

The result hands Tijuana a perfect start to their campaign and sends a clear message about their ambitions this season. For Tigres, the early red card proved costly despite their dogged defensive efforts. Both teams will have learned plenty from this opening fixture as they prepare for the rigours ahead in Liga MX Apertura.