Player ratings as Herons fall late on to finish second in East Group 3

Goals from Juan Brunetta and Juan Pablo Vigon sealed a 2-1 victory for Liga MX giants Tigres UANL over Inter Miami in Leagues Cup group stage action at NRG Stadium.

How the game unfolded

Miami started off on the front foot, peppering shots in at the legendary Nahuel Guzman’s goal — but the veteran shot-stopper kept the Herons’ attempts out with ease. Tigres then broke the deadlock 18 minutes into the first half through midfielder Juan Brunetta.

The 27-year-old pounced on a defensive error by Miami’s Tomas Aviles, who was attempting to clear the ball into Matias Rojas’ path down the right-hand side. Marcelo Flores anticipated the move and intercepted Aviles’ pass, playing a quick header to Brunetta, who then headed it to Nicolas Ibanez. Ibanez returned the favor, allowing Brunetta to hit a first-time volleyed strike into the far corner.

While the strike itself was an absolute beauty, Drake Callender was caught off guard and could have been positioned a little better to give himself a chance at keeping out Brunetta’s effort.

The Herons kept fighting throughout the rest of the first half and into the second half, looking to put the game on level terms. It wasn’t until the 72nd minute that Miami would have the chance to do just that, as Marcelo ‘Chelo’ Weigandt sent in an inviting cross that Leo Campana would’ve sent home if he wasn’t pulled down in the box by Guido Pizarro.

Miami were awarded a penalty, and as Campana won the penalty, he stepped up to fire home a left-footed effort into the top corner to level the score. Even without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the Herons were still hanging in there with one of the best sides in North America.

However, Tigres would go on to find the winning strike in the final minutes of regulation. Substitute Juan Pablo Vigon found himself with plenty of space inside the Herons’ penalty area after a botched clearance by Serhiy Kryvtsov, and the 33-year-old midfielder took a touch before firing a shot in off the crossbar to put Tigres back in front 2-1.

The win meant that Tigres topped East Group 3 with six points after wins against Miami and Puebla while Miami had already secured qualification to the Leagues Cup knockout stage before the match, but the defeat saw them drop to second in the group.

GK: Drake Callender – 6/10 – Not the best positioning on Brunetta’s stunning strike. Not much he could’ve done on Vigon’s winning goal.

RB: Marcelo Weigandt – 6/10 –…