Copa Libertadores 2013: Home sides Tigre, Leon less than impressive in First Round

Neither Tigre, nor Deportivo Anzoategui looked like they felt like cashing in the winning lottery ticket that was drawing Group 2 in the Copa Libertadores when they faced off on Tuesday. The winner of that first round tie drops into a weak group where they will have every chance to go through to the knockout stages, but neither side looked great. The same can be said for Club Leon and Deportes Iquique, who might just be trying to avoid an utterly brutal Group 4.

Tigre 2-1 Deportivo Anzoategui

Tigre, who finished 19th in the most recent Argentine Primera tournament but got into the Copa Libertadores via their Copa Sudamericana performance, were poor in the first half. Their back line was caught napping in the 38th minute, when Rolando Escobar found Jeremias Caggiano over the top with a lofted ball, and Caggiano did well to win a race to the ball and finish from a narrow angle.

The hosts fought back in the second half, however, giving themselves a very good chance to advance by scoring two goals to capture a home leg victory. Gabriel Peñalba equalized in the 66th minute, capitalizing on a deflected pass that fell to him, and Leandro Leguizamon netted the winner with a header that Jose Morales should have been able to save.

Club Leon 1-1 Deportes Iquique

Things got off to a disastrous start for Leon, with Rodrigo Diaz netting the opening goal after just four minutes, with a stunning curler to the back post from just inside the penalty area. Six minutes later, new star Rafael Marquez was forced out of the game with an injury.

Leon played well after the goal heading into halftime, but couldn’t find a goal before the break. Their equalizer came late, in the 88th minute, via a brilliant header by Nelson Maz. Edwin Hernandez picked up the assist, nodding the ball into the path of Maz, who placed an unstoppable header past Rodrigo Naranjo.