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Mexico’s Tigres reach CONCACAF Champions League final
MIAMI, Dec 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A brace from France’s Andre-Pierre Gignac
lifted Tigres of Mexico to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Olimpia of Honduras on
Saturday and into their fourth CONCACAF Champions League final in five years.
Tigres will face the winner of Saturday’s second semi-final, between
Mexico’s America and Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC, on Tuesday for the
title in the elite club competition in the North and Central America and
Caribbean region.
The final stages of this year’s tournament are being staged in Orlando in
order to mitigate risks of disruption from the coronavirus.
Gignac took his tally of Champions League goals to 13 in the clash at
Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, where the Mexican side seized control
moments before halftime.
Olimpia goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar was drawn off his line to punch away a
corner kick, the ball cleared to Tigres’ Carlos Salcedo whose overhead kick
forced a goal-line clearance.
It bounced off the crossbar toward Luis Quinones, whose shot struck the arm
of Olimpia’s Deybi Flores on the goal-line — resulting in a penalty and red
card for Flores.
Gignac converted for a 1-0 halftime lead, and Tigres stretched that lead
with a man advantage in the second half.
A handball in the area gave them another penalty in the 57th minute and
Gignac converted again to double the score.
They went 3-0 up in the 78th when Olimpia defender Elvin Casildo deflected
a ball from Gignac into his own goal.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0950 hrs