Querétaro beat Atlas 3-1 at Estadio Jalisco on Friday night in the sixth round of Mexico's Liga MX Apertura. The visitors took all three points despite playing most of the game with ten men after Manuel Capasso was sent off in the fifty-second minute. S. Homenchenko scored twice for the away side while C. Garcia added a goal of his own.
And here's the thing — the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. Atlas dominated possession at 59 per cent and created more chances on paper with an expected goals figure of 1.11. But they could only manage three shots on target, while Querétaro converted two of their five attempts. To be fair, the visitors took their moments when it mattered.
The penalty goal came in the thirty-ninth minute from Homenchenko, followed by Garcia's own contribution in the forty-second. Then came the shift. Capasso's red card in the fifty-second minute changed everything, and Querétaro ran the show from that point. Homenchenko added a second in the seventieth minute before Garcia completed the scoring in the seventy-sixth.
By then the hosts had made three changes at the break — Duk, A. Gonzalez and E. Gimenez all came on together in the fifty-eighth minute. Querétaro followed with their own substitutions, bringing on Paulo Victor in the sixty-ninth minute before adding B. Duarte and C. Garcia in the eighty-third.
The statistics tell a different tale. Atlas registered 115 attacks compared to Querétaro's 123, but the visitors created two big chances while the hosts managed none. With five shots on target against three, and an expected goals figure of 1.5 to 1.11, the away side were more clinical when it counted.
The result keeps Atlas third on twelve points after six games, while Querétaro remain in sixth place on ten points. Both sides have lost twice this season, but the visitors now have a chance to climb with momentum on their side. The hosts will need to reflect on those three or four moments that decided the match.
