Tigre only drew at home to Newell’s on Tuesday, but the circumstances lent a definite air of victory to… um… Victoria. The visitors held the advantage throughout the second half until, with eight minutes left, Leandro Lázzaro fired home an equaliser which sent the hosts, eight matches into their first season back in the top flight for 27 years, to the top of the table.
It’s a lead that probably won’t last long - Boca and Independiente, both just one point behind, have yet to play in the current round as I write this (Independiente play Huracán shortly). But Tigre’s fans won’t care. They saw their team push forward and take the game to the visitors from the off, and Lázzaro, a revelation in the Apertura with five goals so far, put them ahead.
Tigre have brought a breath of fresh air to the normal actions of newly-promoted sides to the top flight as well, because after taking the lead against a big side like Newell’s, they didn’t sit back and try to hang onto it, but kept pushing forward, trying to create more opportunities. Playing at pace and with width, getting crosses into the box whenever the opportunity arose, they caused some real problems for Newell’s, who managed to weather the storm and, having looked thoroughly chastened by the way the game started, equalised through a Santiago Salcedo strike that was remarkably similar to Lázzaro’s own.
After that, the match quietened down a little and the two sides all but cancelled each other out - until Rolando Schiavi struck in stoppage time at the end of the first half, to send Newell’s into the dressing room with a 2-1 lead. The second half was all Tigre, roared on by a passionate crowd (and if the Argentine press feel moved to remark on how noisy a crowd are, you know they must be loud), but Newell’s held out until the 83rd minute, when Lázzaro rose to head home his second of the evening, and send Tigre’s fans into ecstasy.
Tigre’s best ever season was a sixth place finish in the first division of 1955. Today they’re top, with almost half of the championship gone. Does it get any better than this?
Photo nicked from ole.clarin.com
Filed under: 2007 Torneo Apertura, Argentine football, Argentine league, Descenso, Domestic, Football, Football clubs, Newell's Old Boys, Primera A, Results, Tigre
