Toluca got a great victory after defeating Chivas by a 3-0 score in Guadalajara. Chivas came into the match in a very good form after getting some key results but the Liga MX champions put a stop to their improvement early on and took the three points in the away match. Chivas will remain at home for their mid week match against Necaxa while Toluca returns to their home to face off against Monterrey.
The 1st half started with both teams coming out with strong teams. A right footed shot in the area
from Omar Govea was saved by Toluca’s goalkeeper, Luis Garcia. Off a counter, a good play ended with Jesus Ricardo Angulo getting off a turn around shot in the area but it was well saved by Chivas’ goalkeeper, Raul Rangel. A great combination play ended with a wide open Efrain Alvarez getting off a left footed shot wide in a bad miss. Off a corner kick, the cross was headed by a wide open Jesus Gallardo but Rangel made a great save. A longball into the area was reached by Rangel but incredibly he couldn’t hold on to the ball which allowed Paulinho to get to it and score it into the empty net for the goal that gave Toluca the 1-0 lead. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was headed by a wide open Gallardo and this time the ball went past Rangel and into the net to score and increased Toluca’s lead to a 2-0. In a couple of minutes, Toluca had taken a solid lead in Guadalajara. A great combination play ended with a shot from outside the area from Marcel Ruiz that would go wide. Another longball to the area was won by Paulinho but his left footed shot was easily saved by Rangel. After getting the ball in the area, Armando Gonzlaez got off a left footed shot that hit the post but he was ruled to be offside. The halftime whistle blew and although Chivas had a good start to the match, Toluca’s quick goals had given them control of the score and the match.
The 2nd half started with Chivas subbing out Jose Castillo and Miguel Tapias for Javier Hernandez and Cade Cowell. A harsh tackle on Alexis Vega by Ruben Gonzalez ended with the ref going to VAR. After going to VAR, the ref correctly decided to red card Gonzalez, leaving Chivas with 10 players. A cross into the area from Santiago Sandoval would hit the post. Chivas subbed out Efrain Alvarez for Miguel Gomez. Off a counter, a longball was easily won by a speedy Alexis Vega, who got into the area and got off a right footed shot past Rangel to score and give Toluca the 3-0 lead. Vega, who had been booed all match by Chivas’ fans, got his vengeance and looked to have killed the match. After getting into the area, Angulo got off a right footed shot that went wide. A left footed shot from outside the area from Gallardo was saved by Rangel. Toluca subbed out Diego Barbosa and Jesus Ricardo Angulo for Santiago Simon and Juan Pablo Dominguez. Chivas subbed out Santiago Sandoval for Richard Ledezma. After a foul by Gonzalez, Toluca’s players complained and in doing so, Bruno Mendez insulted the referee which earned him a red card. The match now had both teams with 10 players. Toluca subbed out Paulinho and Alexis Vega for Robert Morales and Antonio Briseño. Chivas subbed out Omar Govea for Gilberto Sepulveda. Off a free kick, the cross into the area was headed by Federico Pereira but Rangel was able to save it. After Sepulveda lost a ball, Morales got on a 1 vs 1 counter but his right footed shot was saved by Rangel. Off a corner kick, the ball was headed into the path of Hernandez, but his header went well wide. After getting the ball in the area, Hernandez sent his right footed shot into the crowd. Off a counter, Dominguez got off a great right footed shot that forced Rangel to make a great save. Toluca subbed out Nicolas Castro for Hector Herrera. Off a counter, the ball was left for Ruiz whose right footed shot went wide. A cross into the area was headed by Herrera but right to Rangel. A cross into the area was just out of reach for Gonzalez. A combination play ended with Ledezma getting off a shot from inside the area but Garcia would block the shot. Cowell would make a good move in the area but his right footed shot was saved by Garcia.
Chivas came into this match in a high spirits after defeating their biggest rival, Club America, last week in the Superclasico. While they had only tied against Tigres, they were the better side and Tigres is a title contender, so it wasn’t a bad result even when they were at home. But it came crashing down on Saturday night against current Liga Mx champions, Toluca. The 3-0 loss is a result that showed what happened on the field, something unusual for a team that even when they had lost a couple of times in the 2025 Apertura, in most of them, they had been unlucky to lose. Yet against Toluca, a good start faltered when once again they started making defensive mistakes and Toluca took advantage of it. Chivas will now have to get a key result on Tuesday against Necaxa. The match also marks the return of their heated ex coach, Fernando Gago, who fans feels abandoned the team to go sign with Boca Juniors but right now coaches Necaxa after he couldn’t cut it in Argentina. Toluca meanwhile returns home where they face an important match against title contenders Monterrey.
