Giovinco is in Champions-ship form
Striker’s free kick provided goal that secured semifinal spot
Much of the the talk leading up to the series between Toronto FC and reigning Liga MX champions Tigres focused on the plight of Major League Soccer teams in the CONCACAF Champions League. Mexican squads had dominated teams from MLS, winning all nine of the tournaments.
But the reigning MLS champion Reds pulled off an impressive victory Tuesday night, advancing to the semifinals on away goals despite a wild 3-2 loss in the Monterrey stadium nicknamed the Volcano.
Sebastian Giovinco forced a Tigres own goal with a succinct cross in the 62nd minute to open the scoring, and gave the Reds a second away goal in the 72nd minute, curling a free kick into the top right-hand corner of goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman’s net from about 30 yards out.
The second goal was enough for TFC to advance, despite two late Tigres goals. The New York Red Bulls also moved on, the first time two MLS teams advanced past Mexican squads in the same competition.
Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday night’s result: THE ART OF DEFENCE: The Reds went into the game vowing to not just to sit back and defend, yet Tigres dominated the possession numbers, holding onto the ball for almost 65 per cent of the match.
Still, TFC hardly lost focus until it had done enough to ensure it would be advancing, even if there were some sloppy moments — Drew Moor nearly scoring an own goal with seconds left in the first half, and substitute Nick Hagglund flubbing a clearance that led to the second goal. Still, they showed some mental strength in the face of huge pressure and a loud crowd. GIANT GIOVINCO: When Tigres came out of the break with a spring in their step, the TFC defence began to look tired. It didn’t help that Toronto’s best defender for much of the night, Chris Mavinga, was pulled from the match in the 62nd minute due to injury. That’s about the time when Giovinco put the team on his back.
The forward became the Reds’ first line of defence, running the ball whenever he could to give the players behind him a rest. It proved crucial to Toronto’s game.
One of the Italian striker’s drives into his opponent’s box ended with him crossing the ball to Tiges’ Rafael Carioca for the own goal. Another run by Giovinco earned him the free kick he curled into Tigres’ net for the highlight-reel marker. MAKING HISTORY: Toronto advanced to the Champions League semifinals for just the second time in club history, becoming just the ninth MLS club to reach that stage in the tournament since the current format was adopted in 2008-09. The Reds were the second MLS club to do so on the night, after the Red Bulls beat Club Tijuana 5-1 on aggregate. SORROW FOR MORROW ... AND MAVINGA: Justin Morrow has been nearly ever-present for Toronto FC since his arrival at the club in 2014, starting at least 28 regular-season matches in each of the past four seasons and playing virtually all of the organization’s 12 playoff games. But Morrow managed less than 15 minutes on the field Tuesday, going down in the12th minute with an unidentified injury. He was replaced not long after. And the thought of any extended period of time without Morrow is enough to send chills down TFC fans’ spine.
The same could be said for Mavinga, who left the game injured shortly after halftime. The Frenchman has made himself equally indispensable.
Case in point: After making a game-saving tackle in injury time of the first leg, when Tigres’ Ismael Sosa broke into Toronto’s box with minutes to play, Mavinga blocked a closerange shot in the first half of the second leg. UP NEXT: The Reds likely haven’t seen the last of Mexico. Toronto will face the winner of a quarterfinal between Liga MX’s Club America and Panama’s Tauro FC, who will meet in the second leg of their series Thursday. Club America leads 4-0 on aggregate.