In the Liga MX game on 2 August 2026, Atlante FC beat Cruz Azul 2:3. Match numbers: shots on target 9:7, corners 7:5.
Match report
Atlante rescued a point and then some at the Estadio Azteca, edging Cruz Azul 3-2 in the third round of the Liga MX Apertura on Saturday. The visitors took all three points with a last-gasp penalty goal, extending their unbeaten run to eight across all competitions. It was a match that swung between home dominance and away resilience, and by then the crowd had already begun to sense the shift.
Cruz Azul started brighter, and they took the lead through L. Puente in the 44th minute. Just three minutes after the interval, L. Calzadilla levelled for the hosts, and the game opened up. Atlante responded with a composed strike from N. Ibanez in the 60th minute, and here's the thing — the visitors had taken the lead without dominating possession.
The statistics tell one story, the match told another. Cruz Azul held 61 per cent of the ball and created 2.86 expected goals, yet Atlante converted their chances more ruthlessly. The visitors registered seven shots on target from ten attempts, while the hosts managed nine from twelve. To be fair, Atlante's goalkeeper made seven saves to Cruz Azul's four, and that kept them in the contest.
What followed was a tense conclusion. Jhojan Julio converted a penalty in the 75th minute to restore Atlante's advantage, and then G. Fernandez missed a spot-kick himself in the 93rd minute. That miss might have ended the match, but Atlante held firm until A. Palavecino added a tenth-minute stoppage-time goal. The home side had camped in the final third for long spells, but they ran out of time.
The result moves Atlante up to 14th place on seven points from seven games, while Cruz Azul remain sixth with twelve points. The hosts had won three of their last five before this defeat, and they now need to regroup quickly. Atlante's away form has been steady — four draws and two losses in seven — and this win gives them momentum going forward.
Prepared from match data
Key numbers
Possession, %61–39
Shots on target9–7
Shots off target3–3
Expected goals2.86–1.89
HT🟨15' L. Calzadilla — Yellow card⚽44' L. Puente — Goal⚽47' L. Calzadilla — Goal⇄57' G. Piovi — Substitution⇄59' L. Puente — Substitution⚽60' N. Ibanez — Goal⇄61' C. Ebere — Substitution🟨68' C. Rodriguez — Yellow card⇄69' E. Pizzuto — Substitution🟨73' W. Ditta — Yellow card⚽75' Jhojan Julio — Penalty⇄81' W. Portales — Substitution⇄86' N. Ibanez — Substitution✗90+3' G. Fernandez — Penalty missed⚽90+10' A. Palavecino — Goal
L23 Aug · Home Atlas · 0:2W29 Aug · Away Necaxa · 3:1W7 Sep · Home Santos Laguna · 1:0W13 Sep · Home Club América · 4:3L17 Sep · Away Inter Miami · 0:2L20 Sep · Away Monterrey · 0:1
