It wasn’t the perfect result.
But for now, Toronto FC is in front. And the Reds have proven they can hang with the best this competition has to offer.
Jonathan Osorio continued his outstanding start to the season by netting an 89th-minute winner to secure a 2-1 win over reigning Liga MX champion Tigres in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal Wednesday.
But TFC fell behind early in the second half against Tigres, and the away goal will give the Mexican side confidence it can still come through this round of the tournament. The result set up a fascinating second leg Tuesday at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey.
Chilean forward Eduardo Vargas opened the scoring for Tigres before Jozy Altidore brought the hosts level.
As might be expected in a game between two clubs new to each other, both sides spent some time getting a feel for the game in the first half. Chances were few and far between. The best fell to Sebastian Giovinco, who latched on to an Altidore through ball but failed to steer his shot past goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán.
Tigres controlled possession, claiming 59 percent of it by halftime, but struggled to find a way through a resolute Toronto back line.
The second frame was to provide much more in the way of goalmouth action.
Tigres coach Ricardo Ferretti introduced striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from the bench at the interval, but it was Vargas who made the breakthrough. The Chilean held off Toronto’s Chris Mavinga to reach midfielder Larry Vásquez’s header and drill a half volley past goalkeeper Alex Bono.
“One-nil, and it was probably our first real mistake of the game,” coach Greg Vanney said afterwards, complimenting Tigres’ attacking quality.
With an away goal conceded, Toronto set about finding an equalizer. Osorio passed up a golden opportunity within the six-yard box from a low Altidore cross, somehow clipping the ball over the bar.
But the Reds did not have to wait long.
“In the second half, we were much faster in our attacks,” Vanney added. “We were much more mobile, things were happening a lot quicker and we started to find the rhythm that we’ve had in the past.”
Altidore had been involved in just about every promising TFC move and this time found himself on the end of one. After Giovinco cut in from the right, Marky Delgado fired a quick one-touch pass into Altidore’s feet and the American held off his marker to slide the ball beyond Guzmán.
From there on, Toronto applied most of the pressure. Altidore should have had a second goal when Michael Bradley curled a pass behind the defense, but Altidore could not bring the ball down on a bobbly field.
This TFC team keeps going, though — the Reds scored last-minute goals in the past two finals they played, and this felt like a final — and Osorio made up for his earlier miss. The Canadian midfielder flicked a back-heel past Guzmán from close range to clinch victory in the 89th minute.