Pumas UNAM and Necaxa played out a 1:1 draw in the fifth round of the Liga MX Apertura at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario on 2026-08-24. The hosts had been looking for momentum after a string of results that left them eleventh with eight points from six games. Necaxa arrived twelfth with seven points and needed something to shift the balance.
The match settled into a pattern early on, though neither side could find a rhythm. P. Vite picked up a booking for the hosts in the 37th minute, a sign that the tempers were rising without the ball being won cleanly. The teams traded possession without creating much, and by then it was clear this would be decided in moments rather than sustained pressure.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the break, as if both coaches were searching for a spark. Juninho and P. Vite were paired off at half-time for the hosts, while Necaxa brought on C. Vargas, A. Carrasquilla and O. Gonzalez together in the 61st minute. The away side also brought on M. Espindola in the 72nd minute, C. Calderon in the 73rd, and V. Arteaga and L. Faravelli in the 82nd.
And here's the thing about this match — it was the late goals that decided everything. J. Carranza opened the scoring for Pumas in the 76th minute, giving the home support something to believe in. Necaxa responded through L. Herrera in the 88th minute, and the game settled into a frantic finish with three yellow cards in stoppage time: R. Monreal, I. Luna and E. Rodriguez.
The statistics tell a story of two sides that had chances but left them. Pumas registered 15 shots inside the penalty area and five on target, while Necaxa managed four shots on target from 10 attempts overall. Expected goals stood at 1.2 for the hosts and 1.46 for the visitors, which suggests the draw was a fair reflection of what each side created.
What this result means is simple enough. Pumas remain eleventh with nine points, a step back from where they hoped to be after five rounds. Necaxa move up to ten points and stay 12th, still searching for consistency after their recent run of results.