Background on Toluca and Tigres
Toluca, known as the ‘Diablos Rojos’ (Red Devils), secured their place in the final of the Clausura 2025 tournament after defeating Tigres 3-0 in the second leg of their semifinal match. The victory marked Toluca’s first elimination of Tigres in seven attempts.
The Match Details
Pre-Match Atmosphere:
The match took place at the Nemesio Diez stadium, with Toluca’s supporters painting the venue red. In contrast, Tigres’ home stadium was adorned in their colors during the first leg.
First Half Highlights:
- At minute 3, Toluca’s Jesús Angulo attempted a shot that was saved by Tigres’ goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán.
- At minute 14, after a VAR review, Toluca was awarded a penalty. Alexis Vega converted it to make the score 1-0.
- Tigres tried to score at minute 30, but their goal was disallowed due to an offside call.
Second Half Highlights:
- At minute 49, Toluca’s Paulinho attempted a shot that Guzmán saved.
- At minute 60, Tigres’ goalkeeper Guzmán ventured out of his area to initiate an attack due to his team’s lackluster performance.
- At minute 72, Guzmán once again saved Tigres from conceding a goal by stopping Edgar López’s shot.
- At minute 72, Toluca executed a counter-attack led by Vega, who set up Edgar López for the 2-0 goal.
- At minute 82, Vega scored the third goal with a low shot past Guzmán.
Post-Match Reactions
Toluca fans celebrated enthusiastically, chanting “¡Otra copa, queremos otra copa!” (Another cup, we want another cup!) in reference to their last championship in 2010. Héctor Herrera nearly made it 4-0, but his shot was deflected by a Tigres defender.
Impact and Future
With this victory, Toluca advanced to the final with a global score of 4-1. Their coach, Antonio Mohamed (‘El Turco’), aims for his fourth title after reaching six finals during his tenure in the Mexican league.
The second semifinal will take place on Sunday, with América needing a win over Cruz Azul by any margin to advance to the final after losing the first leg 1-0.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are Toluca and Tigres? Toluca, or ‘Diablos Rojos,’ and Tigres are two prominent teams in Mexico’s Liga MX.
- What was the score in the second leg? Toluca won 3-0 against Tigres.
- What was the global score in the eliminatoria? Toluca won the series 4-1.
- Who is Antonio Mohamed? He is Toluca’s head coach, known as ‘El Turco,’ who has reached six finals in the Liga MX.
- What is the current status of the other semifinal? América needs a win against Cruz Azul to advance to the final.
