Tampico Madero saw off Alebrijes de Oaxaca 2-1 in the fifth round of the Liga de Expansión MX Apertura on Saturday evening. The hosts took the lead through J. A. Ocejo Zazueta before a red card for A. Tecpanecatl shifted the balance in the closing stages. D. Martinez equalised from the spot, but E. Escalante struck late to secure all three points for the home side.
Ocejo Zazueta opened the scoring in the twenty-fifth minute, and by then the game looked settled for the hosts. Tecpanecatl received his marching orders on the hour marker, compounding his earlier booking with a second yellow. The home side had to regroup and camped in the final third as the visitors looked to exploit the numerical advantage.
Four substitutions came at the break for Alebrijes, including Andrey Marcos and A. Arellano, as they tried to change the tempo. Martinez converted a penalty in the sixty-eighth minute to restore parity, and the match opened up from there. Both sides created chances, though Tampico Madero offered more with four big chances compared to one for their opponents.
And here's the thing about this result — it was Escalante who made the difference in the ninetieth minute, seeing it out after a frantic finish. The visitors had possession in the closing moments but could not find a way through. Tampico Madero's attack registered 14 shots with five on target, while Alebrijes managed eight shots with four on target.
Both sides sit level on seven points from six games, separated only by goal difference. The hosts sit ninth while Alebrijes occupy tenth place in the table. This result ends a poor run for Tampico Madero, who had lost their last outing 4-0 to Leonres Nuevos UDG. Alebrijes come off back-to-back victories but now drop points in a crucial encounter.