Chivas made it five out of five after defeating Mazatlan by a 2-1 score to remain undefeated and the top team in Liga MX. Still Chivas struggled at the end and might have suffered key injuries which make it a costly victory just a week before their biggest regular season clash against Club America in the Superclasico, the biggest match in Mexican club football.
The 1st half started with Chivas coming out with their normal starting 11. A minutes into the match, Efrain Alvarez got pass to Armando Gonzalez,
whose shot bounced off the post but he would later tap it into the empty net just for his goal to be correctly ruled offside. Brian Rubio got off a left footed shot that would go just wide. Off a free kick, Efrain Alvarez got off a good left footed shot that was deflected by the wall past Mazatlan’s goalkeeper, Ricardo Rodriguez and into the net to give Chivas the early 1-0 lead. After a cross into the area was failed to be cleared, it fell to Roberto Alvardo, whose right footed shot would go wide. Mazatlan would sub out Omar Moreno for Jair Diaz. After a bad clearance by Diaz would end with a kick to Daniel Aguirre, he would fall in the area and after going to VAR, a Penalty Kick was given to Chivas. Armando Gonzalez would step up to take the PK and his right footed shot would go past Rodriguez, giving Chivas the 2-0 lead. Off a counter, the ball would fall to Gonzalez but his right footed shot went wide. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was headed wide from close range by Jose Castillo. A right footed shot from outside the area by Luis Romo would be easily saved by Rodriguez. After a harsh foul by Mauro Zaleta on Richard Ledezma, there was a scuffle that ended with Zaleta and Aguirre were booked with yellow cards. From outside the area, Gonzalez got off a right footed shot that went wide. The halftime whistle blew and Chivas had a comfortable and deserved lead.
The 2nd half started with Chivas subbing out Daniel Aguirre for Diego Campillo. Mazatlan subbed out Lucas Merolla for Said Godinez. Off a free kick, Edgar Barcenas got off a great right footed shot that was just out of reach of Chivas’ goalkeeper, Raul Rangel as it went in and placed the score at 2-1. Chivas subbed out Brian Gutierrez for Ruben Gonzalez. After a good run, Ledezma got off a good left footed shot that was brilliantly saved by Rodriguez. A cross into the area would reach Dudu, whose right footed shot was easily saved by Rangel. Mazatlan subbed out Brian Rubio and Angel Leyva for Jesus Hernandez and Angel Saavedra. After getting the ball in the area, Alvarez got off a shot right to Rodriguez. A pass into the area reached Gonzalez, who got past Rodriguez but couldn’t control the ball and allowed Rodriguez to get back to it and get the ball off his feet. Chivas subbed out Armando Gonzalez for Angel Sepulveda. Mazatlan subbed out Jordan Sierra for Alberto Herrera. After a harsh foul, Jose Castillo had to get medical attention. He would have to go out of the game and Miguel Tapias came in his place. Bryan Gonzalez would also be subbed out for Miguel Gomez. After a clash, Romo needed to come out for medical attention, leaving Chivas temporarily with 10 players. A bad back pass was dangerous bur Rangel was able to clear the ball before Dudu could get to it. Off a counter, Romo made a good run but look to have hurt himself but Chivas had no more changes. After getting the ball in the area, Sepulveda crashed the shot to Rodriguez. After getting the ball in the area, Dudu got off a back heel shot that Rangel saved. The match would end as Chivas held on to get their fifth win in five games in the Clausura 2026.
Chivas extended their winning streak to five matches to continue on top of Liga MX. Yet of all the matches, this has to be the least inspiring and will probably be the costliest. After dominating the 1st half, Chivas struggled in the 2nd against the worse team in Liga MX. Yet if the level of play was bad, the worse news by far is the possible injuries to Jose Castillo and especially Luis Romo. Both players had been key to the great start but Romo especially had been one of the best players and his injury in the final minutes look to be somewhat serious and will probably cost him some games. This comes just as week when they face their most important match of the regular season, the Superclasico against rivals Club America. While Chivas has had a great start, this will be by far their biggest test so far and it’s not a good sign that they will come to it without key players and after giving their worst display so far. On the other hand while Mazatlan showed some good things at the end, they still look by far as the worst team in Liga MX and will be facing the team closest to them in awfulness, Santos Laguna, in an away match that should be the total opposite to the Superclasico, AKA: the least awaited match in Liga MX.
