Liga MX Apertura Review: Chivas Wins Three Games in a Row After Crucial Win over Pumas

Matchday 12 of the Liga MX Apertura 2025 included many close matches that either led to dramatic draws or dramatic winners. Two of 'Los Grandes' faced off in an epic match at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario. Pumas and Chivas delivered an epic second half that led to Chivas getting three important points.

Tigres UANL and Cruz Azul battled into a close draw at the Estadio Universitario and both teams remain in the top positions of the table.

Toluca remains seen as the team to beat in the Apertura as they defeated León 4-2 at the Estadio León. Toluca are on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions and have scored at least three goals in their previous seven games.

Friday, October 3 

Necaxa 0-1 Pachuca 

Pachuca managed to hang on to their lead in the 34th minute thanks to a goal from Luis Quiñones. Pachuca makes it two wins in a row to position themselves in the playoff positions. Pachuca remains 7th in the league, but has now reached 20 points and is close to securing a playoff spot. Necaxa are on nine points in 17th place.

Mazatlán 2-1 Atlético San Luis 

San Luis took the lead in the 18th minute as Sebastian Lamonge opened the score. Mazatlán equalized in the 52nd minute with a goal from Jordan Sierra.

The home team would win the match with a winner by Bryan Colula in the 97th minute. Mazatlán got their second win of the season and has hope to reach the playoff positions. Mazatlán is 13th with 11 points, while San Luis is 15th with 10 points.

Atlas 3-1 FC Juárez 

FC Juárez had a great start to the match as they took the lead in the 3rd minute, as Oscar Estupinan scored his sixth goal of the season. Juárez were looking to win their third game in a row, but Atlas quickly turned things around in two minutes.

In the 31st minute, Uros Djurdjevic scored from the penalty spot to equalize. Two minutes later, Diego González gave Atlas the lead, and Atlas was leading 2-1 at halftime. Juárez kept the pressure on for an equalizer, but Atlas found a third in the 64th minute courtesy of Paulo Barbosa.

Atlas are now 11th in the table with 13 points while Juárez remain 8th in the table with 18 points.

Saturday, October 4

Querétaro 3-1 Puebla

Puebla are last in the league but started well against Querétaro at the Estadio Corregidora. Puebla took the lead in the 33rd minute as Ricardo Marin scored the opener. In the second half, Querétaro responded well by putting three past Puebla.

In four minutes, Querétaro scored two goals, and both goals were from Ali Avila. In the 77th minute, Lucas Rodriguez scored the third for Los Gallos Blancos, and it sealed their third win of the Apertura. Querétaro jumped to 14th in the league with 11 points.

Club León 2-4 Toluca

Toluca remains impressive with exceptional football, and in the 5th minute, Jesus Angulo finished a beautiful team goal. Toluca continued to show dominance in the match, but a mistake at the back led to a penalty for León. James Rodriguez scored the equalizer for La Fiera.

In the second half, Toluca started well again, and Paulinho scored the second for Toluca. Alexis Vega made it 3-1 in the 58th minute after another great team goal that involved Helinho and Nico Castro.

In the 69th minute, José Alvarado scored León's second goal of the match. León was unable to use that momentum in their favor, and Paulinho scored his second goal of the match in the 76th minute. Toluca remains top of the table with 28 points and is now on 35 goals in the Apertura, the most in the league.

Tigres UANL 1-1 Cruz Azul

Two of the best teams in the 2025 Apertura came face to face as Tigres and Cruz Azul played a back-and-forth match. After a scoreless first half, Tigres took the lead in the 51st minute when Juan Brunetta scored.

Tigres would have been above Cruz Azul in the table with a win, but in the last minute, Cruz Azul were awarded a penalty after a foul on Ignacio Rivero. Angel Sepulveda scored from the spot to equalize and avoided Cruz Azul losing two games in a row.

América 3-0 Santos Laguna 

América had a comfortable win over Santos at home, and their first goal arrived in the 38th minute as Rodrigo Agurrie scored. He scored four minutes after coming on for the injured Raúl Zúñiga.

Another player who suffered an injury was Allan Saint-Maximin, and he was replaced by Brian Rodriguez in the 30th minute. Rodriguez scored América's second goal of the match in the 62nd minute. Alan Cervantes scored the third in the 71st minute to seal a 3-0 win and position the team in second place. América is on 27 points and just one point behind Toluca.

Sunday, October 5

Pumas 1-2 Chivas 

Arguably, the match of the weekend was the battle of two Mexican giants between Pumas and Chivas de Guadalajara. Both teams were separated by one point and are only one position away from each other in the table. A win was crucial for both teams to climb up the table.

Pumas took the lead in the 48th minute as Pedro Vite scored. Pumas' lead did not last long, and in the 55th minute, Armando Gonzalez scored the equalizer for Chivas. Both teams were pushing for a winner, and both teams had chances to score the winner.

The second goal arrived for Chivas in the 90th minute as Daniel Aguirre put the ball past Keylor Navas. Chivas had seven minutes left to hold onto the lead, and in the last minute, Chivas conceded a penalty.

Alvaro Angulo stepped up for the penalty and could've given Pumas the equalizer, but his shot hit the crossbar. The match ended, and Chivas took all three points.

Tijuana 2-2 Monterrey

Tijuana quickly took the lead in the 12th minute as Frank Boya needed two headers to open the score for Los Xolos. Just before halftime, German Berterame scored the equalizer for Monterrey.

Momentum was on Monterrey's side, and Berterame scored his second goal of the night to give Monterrey the lead in the 57th minute. The lead was short-lived, and Tijuana equalized three minutes later courtesy of Adonis Preciado.

Monterrey are third in the league with 26 points while Tijuana remain sixth with 20 points.

Give us your reactions to Matchday 12 of the 2025 Apertura. Which team impressed you the most? Let us know your thoughts.

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