ORLANDO, FL — Lions and pumas are quite different big cats! Lions are much larger, with males weighing up to four hundred pounds and having that iconic mane, while pumas are smaller and more solitary. Lions live in Africa and hunt in groups, but pumas are found throughout the Americas and hunt alone. On Thursday night at Inter&Co Stadium, UNAM's Pumas proved that sometimes the solitary hunter can outwit the pride, defeating Orlando City's Lions 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Leagues Cup group stage action.
The statistics told the story as Pumas UNAM controlled the match from start to finish, dominating possession (52.8% to 47.2%) and outshooting the Lions 17-7. The Mexican visitors also forced more saves from Pedro Gallese (4) while Keylor Navas was barely tested with just one save required.
Despite being outplayed statistically, Orlando struck first through a moment of defensive brilliance. Argentine defender Rodrigo Schlegel rose majestically in the 5th minute to meet Martín Ojeda's corner kick with a thunderous header that crashed into the turf and bounced past the diving Navas into the bottom right corner.
For 75 minutes, Orlando absorbed Pumas' pressure while protecting their slender lead. The visitors earned six corner kicks to match Orlando's total while committing more fouls (12-7), showing their frustration at being unable to break down the Lions' defensive resolve.
Pumas pressured relentlessly in the second half, constantly probing for weaknesses in Orlando's defensive structure. The turning point came in the 79th minute when Orlando coach Oscar Pareja made a tactical substitution, bringing on young Zakaria Taifi for David Brekalo. The move, designed to add fresh legs to the defense, would prove costly just one minute later.
Pumas' persistence finally paid off in the 80th minute when Adalberto Carrasquilla, one of North America's most dangerous midfielders, struck with clinical precision. The Panamanian maestro had awakened from his patient stalking to exploit the substitute, dribbling past the Orlando City defense with a right-footed shot from the center of the box that found the bottom right corner. Taifi, who was brought in for his offensive skills, found himself defending against world-class talent and was left wanting.
Since the match ended in a tie, the rules dictated a penalty shootout. While Orlando had defended resolutely for 90 minutes, their composure cracked when it mattered most. César Araújo's effort was saved by Navas, and Eduard Atuesta struck the crossbar, leaving the door open for Carrasquilla to complete his masterpiece.
The same player who had equalized stepped up as Pumas' captain for the decisive penalty, coolly slotting home to the top left corner to seal the extra point in Leagues Cup's group stage format.
Pumas brought legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas specifically for tournaments like this, and the Costa Rican captain's experience showed when it mattered most. Combined with Carrasquilla's match-winning performance, Pumas demonstrated why they have the talent and leadership to make a deep run in this competition.
Orlando City earned one point for the draw, while Pumas collected two points for their penalty shootout victory. The Lions will look to bounce back when they face Atlas on Saturday, August 2nd at 6:00 PM in their second game of the group stage match, knowing they still control their destiny in the tournament.
