Copa Libertadores: Tigres, River Plate produce scoreless draw in 1st leg of final

When Tigres UANL and River Plate clashed in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, the Mexican club was the better side in both fixtures but was forced to settle for a pair of draws.

Some things never change.

Looking to become the first Mexican champion, Tigres was unable to exploit its opportunities and possession versus River in the first leg of the final, resulting in a scoreless draw at the Estadio Universitario.

The chances were there. Jurgen Damm, Andre-Pierre Gignac, and Egidio Arevalo caused numerous problems for River's backline throughout the match, particularly on the right flank, where Damm made life miserable for Leonel Vangioni.

It was Damm who nearly put Tigres ahead within 20 minutes when he put the ball on a plate for Rafael Sobis ...

... and it was Damm who should have opened the scoring when he received a phenomenal through ball in the final moments of the game. However, he took far too long to shoot.

On both occasions, 'keeper Marcelo Barovero displayed an excellent reading of the situation, and it's largely because of his quick reflexes between the posts that River holds the edge going into the second leg.

Regarding River's chances in front of goal, there wasn't anything of note, which should come as no surprise given that Tigres had 66 percent of the possession.

There will be everything to play for in next Wednesday's second leg at El Monumental. The away-goals rule is non-existent in the final, meaning a fourth straight draw between the two clubs will guarantee extra time.

Until then, however, Tigres will be confined to thoughts of its inability to find the back of the net. Of the 10 times that the first leg of a Copa Libertadores final ended 0-0, only twice has the club that hosted said first leg gone on to win the competition.

River, meanwhile, has concerns of its own, as the club announced after the fixture that Rodrigo Mora and Tabare Viudez, who were both replaced at the interval, suffered hamstring injuries.

Here's what you need to know from Wednesday's scoreless encounter:

The Goals

Nothing to see here, people. Carry on.

Man of the Match - Marcelo Barovero

Had it not been for Barovero's incredible positioning, there would have been goals in the match. Many goals.

The 31-year-old 'keeper was consistently in the right place at the right time and came off his line at all the correct moments, putting in the type of performance that should have him competing for a spot on Argentina's national team.

He made a crucial diving save on a free kick from Juninho, whose 35-yard free kick in the 80th minute nearly landed in the back of the net.

When beIN Sports colour commentator Ray Hudson is impressed, you're doing something right.

The 1,000 Words

"Nice hat."

Stray Thoughts

• In the knockout stages, the higher-seeded team, which is determined by group-stage performance, hosts the second leg. However, despite being the higher seed, Tigres was forced to host the first leg as regulations dictate that the second leg must take place in a South American country.
• Jonathan Maidana and Matias Kravitter did a wonderful job of forcing Tigres to attack down the flanks by providing an excellent defensive presence in the middle of the pitch.
• The second leg goes next Wednesday at El Monumental and will kick off at 10:00 p.m. local time.