After picking up a commanding 4-1 win in Wednesday night’s first leg, Monarcas Morelia looked all but assured of capturing the SuperCopa and with it, a berth in the 2015 Copa Libertadores. Tigres UANL made it very difficult for them, though, as they mounted a stunning comeback that fell just short, winning tonight’s second leg 3-1 but falling 4-5 on aggregate.

Hernán Darío Burbano gave Tigres a lifeline and inspired the home crowd in the 16th minute when he finished a cross from Jorge Torres Nilo to make it 1-0 on the night and 2-4 on aggregate. Tigres looked to have made it 2-0 in the 26th, but Marco Ruben’s would-be goal was disallowed for offside.

An injury to Damián Álvarez required a reshuffle of Tigres’ lineup, with Gerardo Lugo entering the game and Burbano moving to the left, where he was less effective. In the 62nd minute, referee Fernando Guerro called a controversial penalty after ruling that Rodrigo Godínez fouled Guido Pizarro, and Juninho converted the PK to make it 2-0 (3-4).

After that, Morelia seemed to wake up and quickly increased their aggregate lead with a free kick from Carlos Morales, making it 2-1 (3-5). Tigres kept pressing, however, and Juninho would score a free kick of his own in the 81st minute, sending his shot straight through Morelia’s wall to make it 3-1 Tigres (4-5), but the universitarios were not able to find the fourth goal that would have sent the tie to penalty kicks.

Monarcas Morelia are the 2014 SuperCopa champions and have qualified for the play-in round of the 2015 Copa Libertadores.

Highlights

Lineups

Tigres: Sergio García, Juninho, Hugo Ayala, Jorge Torres Nilo, Iván Estrada (José Francisco Torres 80′), Egidio Arévalo, Hernán Darío Burbano, Damián Álvarez (Gerardo Lugo 35′), Guido Pizarro, Marco Ruben, Emanuel Villa (Hérculez Gómez 69′). 

Morelia: Carlos Felipe Rodríguez, Ignacio González (Carlos Guzmán 27′), Joel Huiqui, Rodrigo Godínez, Hamilton Pereira, Jorge Zárate (Víctor Guajardo 65′), Armando Zamorano (José Antonio Olvera 87′), Christian Valdez, Carlos Morales, Duvier Riascos, Óscar Fernández. 

Monarcas Morelia hosted Tigres UANL in the first leg of the 2014 SuperCopaMX tonight with the two teams vying for a spot in the 2015 Copa Libertadores play-in round.

Morelia was without captain Carlos Morales for this one due to a one-game suspension that carried over from the Clausura 2014 Copa MX, but that didn’t stop the home team from taking an early lead. A long-range shot from Oscar Fernández found the back of the net in the 13th minute to make it 1-0 in favor of Monarcas.

Emanuel Villa looked certain to equalize the game for Tigres in the 31st minute when he easily beat his marker to a corner kick, but his powerful header ended up hitting the post and going harmlessly wide. After that scare, Morelia turned the pressure back on, with Jorge Zárate trying a header of his own, but his was rather more off the mark.

Duvier Riascos was also a persistent threat for Morelia, but when halftime rolled around they still had just the 1-0 lead. That allowed los universitarios to get back into the game in the second half, when Hernán Darío Burbano scored for Tigres in the 56th minute. However, that 1-1 scoreline lasted less than a minute before Morelia retook the lead through Zárate, and Monarcas went on to score twice more in an emphatic 4-1 win.

Morelia’s third goal was the result of a nicely worked play that ended with Hamilton Pereira sending the ball into the top corner, while Duvier Riascos – who looked dangerous throughout the match – scored the fourth in large part due to a terrible error from goalkeeper Sergio García. That blunder will re-ignite the debate about who should be Tigres’ starting keeper for the Apertura, as the club recently brought in Nahuel Guzmán and now rumor has it that Enrique Palos is on his way out.

Although there is still another leg to be played (Saturday – 8:00 PM – Azteca America), it will take a truly monumental comeback from Tigres to wrest this one away from Morelia.

Highlights

Lineups

Morelia: Carlos Felipe Rodríguez, Joel Huiqui, Christian Valdez, Ignacio González, Rodrigo Godínez, José Antonio Olvera, Hamilton Pereira, Armando Zamorano, Duvier Riascos (Luis Silva 77′), Oscar Fernández (Víctor Guajardo 90′), Jorge Zárate (Luis Morales 82′). 

Tigres: Serio García, Iván Estrada, Juninho, Hugo Ayala, Jorge Torres Nilo, Egidio Arévalo, Guido Pizarro (José Francisco Torres 72′), Damián Álvarez, Marco Ruben, Hérnan Darío Burbano, Emanuel Villa.