Starlight Stadium was packed to the brim with fans from near and abroad to witness the beginning of the Vancouver Whitecaps Concacaf Champions Cup journey. They were hosting the Tigres UANL from Mexico at Starlight Stadium due to a conflict with another event at BC Place. This conflict allowed many Vancouver Island residents to watch a clash of two higher-level North American teams.
The two teams faced off previously in the League Cup, which ended in Vancouver’s defeat in penalties following the shenanigans from the Tigres keeper. However, Vancouver looked to get the Tigres numbers this time around.
The first half commenced with the Whitecaps applying heavy pressure eager to score the opening goal. Vancouver’s defensive presence was enough to withhold the Tigres’ players to only a few opportunities. Which in favour led to the Whitecaps having an offensive break where they capitalized as Damir Kreilach tapped it past the Tigres’ goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman in the 32nd minute. The Tigres followed with a flurry of pressure that led to no goals ending the first half in favour of Vancouver 1-0.
The second half showed a different yet similar pace, however on the contrary. The Tigres were eager to score. However, it was again the Whitecaps that scored again erupting the fans in a frenzy. The goal however was determined offside by VAR (Video assistant referee) bringing the game back to 1-0. With the threat of going down 2-0 knocking on the door, the Tigres pushed hard to level the game. They would be granted the opportunity to do so, when one of their players went down just outside of the 18-yard box, granting the Mexican side a free kick. A freekick that was placed perfectly into the top right corner by Andre-Pierre Gignac and past the Whitecaps keeper Yohei Takaoka in the 88th minute. Sending the Tigres’ supporters roaring and leaving the Whitecaps fans groaning.
The game concluded 1-1, now the Whitecaps will travel to face the Tigres and their home-field advantage for the next game on Wednesday, February 14th, 2024, in Monterrey, Mexico. (The next game will carry a 1-1 aggregate).
Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini had to say, “I think we had a very good performance, and we played a very good team—I think defensively we were really good, we were structured, and it was really hard to break us down”.
