PACHUCA, Mexico (Interstat) — In a chaotic and ill-tempered Liga MX match that saw three red cards and a flurry of late goals, visiting Tigres UANL edged Pachuca 2-1 on Wednesday night at Estadio Hidalgo.

The match, which was the season opener for both clubs, was ultimately decided by a stunning two-minute span in the second half and marred by a series of dismissals that concluded a contest featuring 11 yellow cards.

Tigres, which entered the match with a 60.2 percent probability to win according to Interstat’s ELO system, secured the three points after a dramatic comeback was sparked and finished by their substitutes.

The game’s opening goal came from an unlikely source in the 59th minute. Tigres’ Juan Brunetta, who began the match on the bench, broke the deadlock with a well-taken finish to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The assist on the play was credited to fellow substitute Juanjo Purata.

Pachuca, playing in front of their home supporters, found an almost immediate response. Just 18 minutes after Brunetta’s strike, the home side drew level in the 77th minute through forward Kenedy, who slotted the ball home to make it 1-1. The equalizer was set up by midfielder Pedro Pedraza.

The parity was shockingly short-lived. Merely one minute later, Tigres restored its lead in spectacular fashion. Substitute Diego Lainez, who had just entered the fray, announced his arrival with a decisive goal in the 78th minute, pushing Tigres back in front at 2-1. The assist on the go-ahead goal was provided by Javier Aquino, another second-half introduction for the winning side.

Lainez’s impactful performance, which also included an assist on Brunetta’s opener, was the defining individual effort of the match, turning the tide firmly in Tigres’ favor after Pachuca had seemingly seized the momentum.

The frantic scoring was a stark contrast to the first half, which was a cagey, physical affair defined more by fouls than fluid attacking play. The opening 45 minutes produced four yellow cards, with Pachuca’s Pedraza and Tigres’ Purata, Aquino and Ángel Correa all being booked.

The match completely unraveled in the final stages. The disciplinary carnage began in the 85th minute when Tigres’ Marco Farfan, who was already on a yellow card, received a second booking and was sent off, forcing his team to play a man down.

Pachuca’s hopes of capitalizing on the numerical advantage were dashed just five minutes later. In the 90th minute, defender Eduardo Bauermann was also shown a straight red card, leveling the sides at 10 men apiece for the frantic final moments of stoppage time.

The chaos reached its peak in the 11th minute of added time. Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi was shown a yellow card and then immediately a subsequent red card, reducing the home side to nine men and effectively ending any chance of a last-gasp equalizer.

The final whistle confirmed a hard-fought victory for Tigres, defying the pre-match projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 1-1 draw. The win gives Tigres an early boost in the Liga MX standings, while Pachuca is left to rue a match that slipped away in a flash and descended into ill-discipline.

Both clubs now hold identical records of zero wins and zero losses in the competition, with Tigres moving to the top of the table on goal difference after the first matchday.