Deportivo Toluca edge Tigres on penalties to win CONCACAF Champions Cup

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toluca/8hiBr2eQ/"]Toluca[/a] goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/garcia-luis/8xZxfNU5/"]Luis Garcia[/a] was the hero, saving a decisive spot kick from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/purata-juan/SbVDPPaj/"]Juanjo Purata[/a] to clinch a 6-5 shoot-out victory.[/p][p]The game had gone to penalties after the two Liga-MX clubs finished [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/tigres-uanl-Iy4albIC/toluca-8hiBr2eQ/?mid=nuWEhwVI"]deadlocked at 1-1 following extra time.[/a][/p][p]The victory was Toluca's first since their 2003 triumph in the tournament, the premier club competition for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.[/p][p]Garcia's shoot-out heroics were a fitting reward for the Toluca goalkeeper, who had kept his team in the match during regulation and extra time with a series of stunning stops to deny [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tigres-uanl/Iy4albIC/"]Tigres[/a].[/p][p]One double save by Garcia late in normal time - first from a header by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/romulo/CEw8PVST/"]Romulo[/a] and then a close-range follow-up from veteran French substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gignac-andre-pierre/2wvWBlyT/"]Andre-Pierre Gignac[/a] - left the Tigres players shaking their heads in disbelief.[/p][embed guid="dec5c5db-7784-4fb3-97be-547c2c5ccb3b" url="https://x.com/TheChampions/status/2060922251663298818?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Toluca however withstood the onslaught to strike first in extra-time through substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-jorge/E9fwFAXp/"]Jorge Diaz[/a] after 104 minutes.[/p][p]Diaz collected a pass from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arce-fernando/Qqfz1Y0q/"]Fernando Arce[/a], spun away from the Tigres defence and rifled a low shot past former Argentina international goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guzman-nahuel/86bQrnfs/"]Nahuel Guzman[/a].[/p][p]It looked as if that goal would settle it but Toluca's home crowd at the Nemesio Diez Stadium were silenced in the 114th minute when Tigres equalized through Brazilian defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/joaquim/d0cNW7N9/"]Joaquim[/a]'s towering header.[/p][p]That led to the shoot-out, and again there were nerves for Toluca when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/romero-franco/2kK8cPrb/"]Franco Romero[/a] saw his penalty to win the game saved by Guzman with the home side leading 4-3.[/p][p]Tigres leveled through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lainez-diego/pEz9Mlsm/"]Diego Lainez[/a] to make it 4-4 and set up sudden death, but it was Tigres who would blink first when Purata's weak attempt was saved by Garcia.[/p]