UANL Tigres Vs. Santos Laguna, 2011 Apertura Liguilla Final: 1-0 Santos After Insane First Half

Well, as far as entertainment goes, this is already one of the most watchable football matches of the year, in any league. Asa reminder, Santos Laguna entered the second leg of the 2011 Apertura Liguilla final 1-0 down on aggregate to UANL Tigres, having lost the first game at home. UANL Tigres were yet to concede a goal in the whole tournament, and hadn't lost a home match all season.

Then five minutes into the game Mexico national team legend Oswaldo Sanchez managed to get himself sent off for a two-footed lunge on Danilinho*, and things went from 'impossible' to 'super-impossible' for the visitors. Carlos Darwin Quintero was hauled off to allow substitute goalkeeper Miguel Beceara to come on. His first action was to save the penalty, flinging himself to his right to deny Lucas Lobos from the spot.

*Some are claiming that this was neither a penalty nor a red card, because Danilinho was in the air at time of contact. While this is true, it just means that the Tigres man should have been booked for simulation as well.

The aggregate score had been kept manageable, but Santos - who spent most of the first leg down to ten men as well - were still in real trouble. Tigres are a difficult enough opponent at home with with all eleven players on the pitch. And then, a miracle happened.

Carlos Adrian Morales burst down the left wing, and with Jose Maria Cardenas making a far post run and screaming for the ball, he lashed in a brilliant low cross that evaded everyone, including a diving Enrique Palos. Cardenas could have opted to take a very difficult sliding shot, but instead managed to play a reverse pass straight to Oribe Peralta, who smashed home from four yards.

Somehow, with half an hour gone the final was level. Tigres spent the next quarter of an hour trying to score, and nearly managed it a fair few times. Lobos almost made up for his penalty miss by smashing the ball into the back of the net with a brilliant scissor volley only to kick Osmar Mares in the face in the process, forcing referee Rodriguez Moreno to disallow the effort. Moments later, Santiago Hoyes came within a foot of scoring an own goal while attempting to cut out a pass.

But so far, Santos have held out. Advantage, of course, is still with Tigres - they are at home and they're playing with a man advantage. But the momentum is with the visitors. Can they pull off a stupendous comeback win?