Pumas get another solid victory over Mazatlan

Guillermo Martinez celebrates after scoring against Mazatlan | via Rafael Hernandez

Pumas gave another great performance to defeat Mazatlan by a 3-1 score to give them three points that qualified them to the Liguilla. In front of their smartest and most intelligent crowd in 2026, Pumas had a great start but faltered in the middle of it before finishing strong. Pumas now mathematically has enough points to book their ticket to the post season but will still need to finish strong to improve on their fourth place standing. Pumas will now travel north to face off against Atletico San Luis while Mazatlan will return home to host Queretaro.

The 1st half started with Pumas coming out with an offensive lineup as they needed to get the three points in front of such a great home crowd. A left footed shot from Alan Medina was blocked by Mazatlan’s defense and although Pumas’ players asked for a Penalty Kick, nothing was given. Jordan Carrillo got off a right footed shot it the area that Mazatlan’s goalkeeper, Ricardo Rodriguez, would fumble in the area and although Juninho would score on the rebound, he was clearly offside and it was called off. A great thru pass from Alan Medina would allow Robert Morales to get on a 1 vs 1 and he would get off a low right footed shot past Rodriguez to score and give Pumas the early 1-0 lead. After a great combination play, Carrillo got off a right footed shot that was blocked by Mazatlan’s defense. Inside the area, Medina got off a strong left footed shot that Rodriguez made a great save on it. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area would be slightly deflected by Nathan and a wide open Juninho would then score from almost the line into the empty net to score and give Pumas the 2-0 lead. It was a terrible mistake from Mazatlan but a great start for the home side. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was headed just wide by Alvaro Angulo. A longball would be badly misplayed by Pablo Bennevendo which allowed Brian Rubio to win the ball in the area but his right footed shot was blocked by Pumas’ goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, and then cleared by Bennevendo. A great thru pass would find Angulo in the area but his shot went well wide. Off a corner kick, Angel Leyva rose up to get off a wide open header that went wide. A cross into the area found a wide open Edgar Barcenas but his header went right to Navas. Josue Ovalle would make a great run into the area before getting off a left footed shot past Navas to score and to place the score at 2-1. While Pumas had completely dominated, they had taken their foot off the pedal and paid for it with the goal. A controversial play ended the half when Referee Katia Itzel Garcia whistled to end the half just as Bennevendo had made a mistake and look to have lost the ball and was going to allow Dudu to get a possible 1 vs 1 chance. All the Mazatlan players went to protest the decision. Still the half ended and Pumas had a great start but had faltered as time passed, allowing Mazatlan to get into the game.

The 2nd half started with the news that Mazatlan’s coach, Sergio Bueno, got red carded during the break for arguing with Garcia about her controversial decision. A cross into the area from Carrillo was just out of reach of Juninho. After a cross into the area ended up with a crash between Navas and Rubio, the Pumas goalkeeper reacted and started a scuffle between them that earned a Yellow card to each player. Pumas subbed out Juninho, Jordan Carrillo and Pablo Bennevendo for Guillermo Martinez, Uriel Antuna and Ruben Duarte. A cross into the area was headed just wide by Lucas Merolla. A good cross into the area from Adalberto Carrasquilla was almost deflected into the net by Merolla. A cross into the area was just out of reach of Duarte, who would have had a close range header had he gotten to it. A great low cross from Antuna was brilliantly lowered by Guillermo Martinez, who turned around and got off a great left footed shot that went past Rodriguez to score and give Pumas the 3-1 lead. It was a great goal by Martinez, who looked to have capped Pumas improvement after their slow start to the 2nd half. Mazatlan subbed out Mauro Zaleta, Lucas Merolla and Brain Rubio for Mauro Lainez, Gilberto Adame and Fabio Gomes. Pumas subbed out Alan Medina for Alan Rico. From outside the area, Martinez got off a great left footed shot that forced a great save from Rodriguez. Mazatlan subbed out Edgar Barcenas and Josue Ovalle for Gabriel Lopez and Angel Saavedra. Pumas subbed out Robert Morales for Cesar Garza. After a good combination play between Carrasquilla and Martinez, the latter would get off a left footed shot that went right to Rodriguez. A cross into the area was headed by Gomes from close range but his header hit the post. Off a counter, Pumas got a chance after Rico got off a left footed shot from outside the area but it was easily saved by Rodriguez. The match ended and Pumas got another great victory that sealed their ticket to the Liguilla.

Pumas got their most important victory of the year (opinion might be biased because it’s the only match I’ve been in 2026) against Mazatlan and have qualified to the Liguilla with the three points gained. The match looked like a drubbing but Pumas faltered as they started to get overconfident and allowed Mazatlan to get back in the match. A controversial decision made matters worse when woman referee Katia Garcia made a bad call to end the match. This let to the red card for Mazatlan’s coach Sergio Bueno, who according to reports he might have said a extremely sexist remark that has led to controversy outside the sporting news. Still about the match, Pumas made an important performance but needs to improve especially on defense. Against Mazatlan the two defensive players who are in new positions to the ones they had in the past (Bennevendo and Rodrigo Lopez) both struggled against Mazatlan. Still the victory was more than deserved and they now have their ticket to the post season although they should fight to get a higher place in the standings. They will have a tough match on Friday as they travel north to play Atletico San Luis in a stadium they at times have had trouble. Mazatlan will return home to face off against Queretaro.