Liga MX Apertura 2025: Five Best Moments | OneFootball

Liga MX Apertura 2025 has drawn its curtain for the regular season, as we turn our attention to the playoff antics after the November international break.

Seventeen matches, full of drama. Last-minute winners, thrilling comebacks, demolition jobs and a whole host of red cards are all among some of the headlines which tell the story of the regular season.

Before we fully commit to the postseason clashes, it’s time we take a step back and reflect on everything that’s happened over the last five months of Mexican football.

Querétaro’s’ heroic comeback against Atlas

The award for the standout game of the season came on matchday five as Los Gallos hosted Atlas at the Estadio Corregidora. At this stage of the season, the hosts had lost all four opening matches of the campaign and seemed set to extend that horrid run when Los Rojinegros took a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.

As the clock hit 90, Los Gallos were still facing a two-goal deficit, with many around the stadium beginning to accept a familiar fate. However, hopes were revived in the 95th minute when Rodrigo Bogarin pulled one back, but the true drama came three minutes later when Lucas Rodrúguez forced the ball over the line, meaning that Querétaro scored two goals deep into added time to rescue the most unlikely of results.

Club América spoiling the fun in Monterrey

By the time Club América travelled to the Estadio BBVA on matchday nine, they were facing a Rayados side that had won seven straight matches and were top of the table.

Given the form going into the game, Doménec Torrent’s side were slight favourites to continue their run, and it seemed as if things would continue that way when Fidel Ambriz and Sergio Canales put them two goals to the good. However, as Las Águilas do so often, they found a way back into the game. Against all odds, two goals in the final ten minutes shocked the league.

From that moment, Monterrey’s momentum completely vanished, winning only two games from their final nine regular-season matches.

Toluca’s giving Los Rayados nightmares

Four days on from disappointment against América, Monterrey headed to Toluca for another top-of-the-table clash.

Responding fast, Los Rayados took the lead through Germán Berterame before Sergio Ramos’ failed panenka stopped the visitors from doubling their lead, and that’s where it all went downhill. At this stage, Monterrey controlled the game, but Ramos’s missed spotkick gave Toluca life. Fourteen minutes after Monterrey’s chance to take a commanding lead, Los Rojos Diablos netted three times to make a statement.

By halftime, fans had witnessed six goals in a complete goalfest, but the damage was far from done. In the second half, Paulinho and Nicolas Castro both secured braces to hand the reigning champions a 6-2 lead, making it a week to forget for Sergio Ramos and co.

Youthful Chivas win Clásico Nacional

Chivas and Club América met for the annual Independence Day Clásico Nacional, in a meeting where Las Águilas were heavily tipped to win. Not only for their head-to-head record, having lost only once in the last seven meetings, but also for their league record, which had seen Chivas win just one game in seven.

Under new management, Gabriel Milito has been working with a new and young squad. Losses against León, Santos Laguna and Juárez all set the tone for a Chivas side that had failed to make any of the last two playoffs. But… all changed when they faced their biggest rivals.

Meeting in the capital, Chivas dug deep and managed to survive the pressure of América, who dominated large parts of the game. Against the run of play, Los Rojiblancos relied on their two most influential attackers, Roberto Alvarado and Armando González, to give them a two-goal lead.

At that point, the damage was done; Derby Day celebrations soon pursued for Chivas, despite the late consolation goal from Alex Zendejas. Serving as the catalyst for the Guadalajara club, Milito’s men managed to go on a run of seven wins from their final ten games of the season.

Querétaro’s late bid for the playoffs

One of the most underwhelming teams in recent history has been Querétaro. A side that often finds itself in the bottom two, saved by the removal of promotions and relegations, but otherwise would have found itself down in the second division a long time ago.

That seemed to be the case, once again, during the Apertura, despite their dramatic comeback against Atlas early in the campaign. However, things started to change halfway through the campaign. The matchday nine win against Pachuca kick-started things before defeating Puebla and handing Chivas a rare defeat in the second half of the season.

For a team that often finds itself well adrift of the playoff places, Los Gallos went into the final game of the season with a chance of creeping into 10th place, knowing that a win against Juárez would give them a chance. And, that’s what they did, a 2-1 victory took them into the final postseason position, before a dramatic Derby Day victory for Pumas spoiled the surprise. Nonetheless, it was a much-improved performance from Querétaro, which we hope continues going into 2026.

Which was your favourite moment of the Liga MX Apertura 2025? Let us know!

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