| Tigres UANL 4-1 Forge FC (4-1 agg.) 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round 1 (Leg 2) Estadio Universitario |
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Forge FC's run in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup came to an end Tuesday night, as they lost 4-1 to Tigres UANL at the Estadio Universitario in Nuevo León, Mexico.
Though they arrived in Mexico with high hopes after last week's 0-0 opening-leg draw, Forge were unable to capitalize against one of the best teams in Liga MX. They fell behind early and, although the Canadian Premier League team scored a late penalty to make it close, Tigres sealed their triumph with a pair of late goals.
Forge will leave Mexico disappointed by the scoreline, but they impressed throughout their Champions Cup appearance over two legs; after keeping a clean sheet at home, the Hammers made Tigres sweat in Leg 2, falling victim to a handful of mistakes.
The sides that kicked off this match were notably different to the teams that battled a week prior in Hamilton, particularly the hosts. Tigres made five changes to the starting XI from Leg 1, with World Cup winner Ángel Correa starting as a 10 and Uruguayan striker Rodrigo Aguirre featuring up top — the latter making his club debut after arriving from Club América.
Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis didn't make drastic changes, maintaining his 3-4-1-2 but making one remarkable swap: Anthony Aromatario made his first pro start in midfield next to Kyle Bekker. The reigning Ontario Premier League MVP has joined Forge on a short-term contract for the Concacaf competition, and has evidently made an impression on the Hammers' staff.
Much like the first leg, Tigres were the early aggressors, spending the majority of the opening 15 minutes in Forge's half. They were patient, probing at their opponent's back five, but struggled to get the ball to dangerous areas as Forge funnelled them to the touchlines. Instead, Tigres had to play more speculative balls into the box, which Forge's disciplined backline could leave to Dimitry Bertaud to handle.
Soon enough, a set-piece was Forge's undoing. The Mexican side engineered a clever corner kick routine, where Ozziel Herrera flicked a cross with his back heel toward the far post, for Fernando Gorriarán to head back across the goalmouth. Aguirre, standing unchallenged behind Forge's Rezart Rama, rose high on the goal line to nod it in and score his first goal for Tigres in the 22nd minute.
It was a difficult first half for Forge, who tried to be direct with their limited attacking opportunities. They had trouble connecting passes through Tigres' lines and matching the Mexican side's tempo, and the handful of deliveries into the box failed to find a target.
Smyrniotis waited for the hour mark to begin upping the tempo, remaining patient and focusing on preventing the second goal. Shortly after Tigres made their first subs, the Forge coach made a triple change in the 64th minute and added the experienced Mo Babouli, Brian Wright and Noah Jensen in a full swap of his front three.
Just as Forge began to push forward, though, Tigres caught them at the other end. Picking up the ball from a failed Forge attack and moving quickly down the touchline, they sprung Aguirre just onside on the counter. The Uruguayan blazed into the penalty area and curled his shot past Bertaud into the top corner, scoring before many of Forge's defenders could get near him.
The Hammers found a lifeline with 10 minutes to play, as a free kick on the edge of the box caught the arm of Marcelo Flores. A VAR check awarded a penalty to Forge, and Brian Wright buried it expertly to his left to make it 2-1.
However, the day did not belong to the Canadian side.
Recovering almost instantly from Forge's goal, Tigres seized momentum once again. Flores marauded down the pitch toward the box and found Correa, who hammered a low shot from the edge of the area to restore the two-goal lead.
Defender Joaquim Henrique struck the final blow for the hosts just five minutes later, as Forge failed to clear their lines after a Tigres corner kick and the Brazilian volleyed in to make it 4-1.
Just as quickly as Forge had rekindled their hope, it was snuffed out, as the experienced Mexican side punished the Canadians for their mistakes.
In the end, it was a frustrating evening for the Hammers; although Smyrniotis would be happy with much of the performance, Forge will be ruing some missed opportunities.
They were beaten twice on set-pieces and twice on the counter, and a handful of split-second mistakes led to the ball in the back of their net.
Still, Forge return home after arguably their most competitive showing in the Champions Cup of their four attempts. With so many new faces in the squad — four in the starting XI on Tuesday — they'll be pleased with their progress ahead of the CPL campaign.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Tigres UANL: Guzmán; Garza, Henrique, Angulo, Loroña (Rodríguez 72'); Brunetta (Araújo 62'), Gorriarán; Lainez, Correa, Herrera (Flores 62'); Aguirre (Gignac 72')
Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović, Paton (Filion 82'); Bekker (Tavernier 86'), Aromatario; Borges (Jensen 64'), Oketokoun (Wright 64'), Massunda (Babouli 64')
Goals
22' — Rodrigo Aguirre (Tigres UANL)
71' — Rodriguo Aguirre (Tigres UANL)
80' — Brian Wright (Forge FC) (Penalty)
81' — Ángel Correa (Tigres UANL)
86' — Joaquim Henrique (Tigres UANL)
Discipline
11' — Yellow: Ismael Oketokoun (Forge FC)
40' — Yellow: Fernando Gorriarán (Tigres UANL)
52' — Yellow: Ángel Correa (Tigres UANL)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Rodrigo Aguirre, Tigres UANL
The Uruguayan striker got off to a flying start with his new club on Tuesday, scoring twice and showing his impressive arsenal of attacking abilities.
What’s next?
Tigres now advance to the round of 16, where they will play either FC Cincinnati or O&M FC. That tie will kick off the week of March 10-12.
Forge, meanwhile, will turn their attention to the upcoming Canadian Premier League season, which they'll begin on April 4 at home against Atlético Ottawa.
Watch all 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and CPL matches live in Canada on OneSoccer.