The quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup continued tonight with two huge fixtures on the docket in the wake of a pair of entertaining nil-nil draws yesterday.
Here is how things first went down in Vancouver.
Vancouver 1-1 Pumas UNAM
Scorers: White 71'; Carrasquilla 87'
Vancouver Whitecaps were denied a first-leg win in front of home support during a 1-1 draw against Pumas UNAM.
The two sides could only play out a stalemate across the opening 45 minutes of action at BC Place, though Whitecaps headmaster Jesper Sørensen was no doubt pleased with how little Pumas could muster from an attacking standpoint.
Pumas slowly began to work their way into the match after the break, but concerns surrounding potential electrical issues began to steal much of the show as the hour mark approached.
Vancouver finally broke the deadlock in the 71st minute through leading scorer Brian White after a goal-line scramble was poorly dealt with before White bungled home his fourth Champions Cup goal.
The Vancouver Whitecaps take the lead! ⚽💥 pic.twitter.com/SwxC0RjbCc
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) April 3, 2025
But just like their away clash against Alajuelense in the round of 16, Pumas found an away goal, but this time, in stunning fashion in the 87th minute through a lovely volley from Panamanian international Adalberto Carrasquilla, who beat Yohei Takaoka low at the near post from a tight angle.
¡Carrasquilla empata el marcador para Los Pumas! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/69aUyx2m9k
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) April 3, 2025
It was the first shot on target of the night for Efraín Juárez's Universitarios before shot-stopper Alex Padilla would come up with a massive save in stoppage time to deny Vancouver a stoppage-time winner.
Vancouver now has it all to do in the second leg, with Pumas now enjoying a huge advantage ahead of their clash next week at Estadio Olímpico Universitario.
Still to come
📸 Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images
