Tigres Start Liga MX Clausura With Statement Win Over San Luis
Revenge isn’t just sweet—sometimes it’s clinical. Tigres UANL walked into Estadio Alfonso Lastras still feeling the sting from their Apertura 2024 quarterfinal exit at the hands of Atlético de San Luis. They left the field with a 3-1 victory and a new burst of energy under head coach Veljko Paunović. You could feel the shift from the first whistle.
Diego Lainez wasted little time silencing the home crowd with a confident finish in the 15th minute. His goal set the tone and forced San Luis onto the back foot. Even though Sebastien Salles-Lamonge temporarily restored hope for the home fans with an equalizer before halftime, the balance of the game was just about to change for good.
That pivotal moment came as the first half wound down. Right in stoppage time, San Luis’ Yan Phillipe misjudged a challenge and got shown a straight red. Suddenly, the hosts had to play almost an entire half a man short against a team looking to prove a point. Oddsmakers and fans alike knew this was likely the real turning point.
Pizarro and Gorriarán Punish Short-Handed San Luis
Once play resumed, Tigres began to show their extra muscle. Captain Guido Pizarro didn’t miss his opportunity, heading in a well-placed cross just before the hour mark. His 58th-minute goal underlined his leadership and the deep midfield quality Tigres possess. San Luis—already stretched—couldn’t string together attacks with the same intensity. Keeper Marcelo Barovero did what he could, but the coverage gaps were glaring.
With San Luis struggling to keep up, Fernando Gorriarán finished them off with a late strike in the 86th minute. That third goal from the veteran Uruguayan midfielder closed the door on any late miracle and set off wild celebrations on the Tigres bench. The visitors looked far more cohesive than the side that crashed out last November, passing crisply and pressing with organized aggression.
Paunović’s game plan worked to perfection, using the numerical advantage to keep possession and wait for patient openings. Lainez and Gorriarán both looked dangerous throughout, while Pizarro’s control in midfield was class. Meanwhile, Salles-Lamonge was the lone bright spot for San Luis, often stranded, but he managed to keep his team in the mix until legs gave out late.
- Tigres displayed sharp finishing and smarter transitions in midfield.
- San Luis’ promising first half unraveled after the red card, exposing their lack of depth against top sides.
- The win injects Tigres with fresh confidence and early Clausura 2025 momentum.
Fans now have good reason to believe that this is a different Tigres from last fall’s disappointment. Under Paunović, they look revitalized, hungry, and out for payback across the calendar. For San Luis, the night’s drama will sting, especially knowing their promising start vanished in the blink of a red card. The clash might have only been the season opener, but it already feels like it set the stage for how fierce this year’s Liga MX battles will be.
