MEXICO CITY -- Former Atlético Madrid winger Ángel Correa scored a second-half goal on Thursday, and the Tigres UANL defeated reigning champion Toluca 1-0 in the first leg of the Liga MX Apertura final.
The 30-year-old Correa, who scored 88 goals with 65 assists in 469 matches with Atletico, joined the Mexican side in the summer and scored the game-winner in the 46th minute on a cross from former Real Betis player Diego Lainez.
The Argentine winger helped Atletico to win the Spanish league title in the 2020-21 season and reach the final of the Champions League in 2016.
His last appearance for Atletico was at the Club World Cup, where the team failed to advance from its group.
Tigres are trying to capture their ninth league title, and their seventh since 2011, with a core of players that includes Argentinian goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán and former Olympique de Marseille striker André-Pierre Gignac, among others.
The second leg will be played on Sunday at the Nemesio Diez stadium in Toluca, a city located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mexico City.
Toluca is aiming for its 12th league title. The Red Devils are also trying to become the fourth team to win back-to-back championships since 1996.
