Chivas fought to the end, but fell to Toluca in the AP26 opener | OneFootball

Guadalajara began its Apertura 2026 campaign with a 2-0 loss to Toluca at Estadio AKRON in the Matchday 1 clash.

Although the Rebaño got off to a good start and tried to set the tone from the opening minutes, the visitors took the lead before halftime from the penalty spot. In the second half, Chivas played much of the match with 10 men, but never stopped pushing for the opposing goal.

Despite the adversity, Gabriel Milito’s side stayed in the fight until the final whistle, creating several chances that ultimately did not show on the scoreboard.

Now, the Rebaño will have to turn the page and shift its focus to its next commitment. Next Saturday, Chivas will return to the Fortaleza Rojiblanca to host Juárez on Matchday 2 of the Apertura 2026, aiming to claim its first three points of the tournament.

The goals

- In the 41st minute, Alexis Vega opened the scoring from the penalty spot for the visitors.- In the 73rd minute, Jesús Gallardo doubled Toluca’s lead.

Dangerous chances

- In the 15th minute, a great sequence of quick passing around the edge of the box ended at the feet of Richard Ledezma, who fired a shot that went close to the opposing goal.- In the 19th minute, Roberto Alvarado appeared inside the box and hit a right-footed shot on target, but the Toluca back line managed to deflect the ball out for a corner.- On the following play, in the 21st minute, Daniel Aguirre rose highest and powered a header just wide of the goalkeeper’s right post.- In the 23rd minute, Kevin Castañeda controlled the ball at the edge of the box and found Ángel Sepúlveda, who tried to surprise the keeper with a chipped shot that went just inches wide of the opposing goal.- In the 32nd minute, Castañeda tried his luck from long range and unleashed a rocket that skimmed past the upper left corner of the goal, coming within inches of a spectacular strike.- In the 47th minute, after a throw-in, ‘Cuate’ Sepúlveda once again won the ball in the air and powered a header that forced a great save from Luis García to preserve the visitors’ lead.- In the 57th minute, a through ball left Armando González one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The academy product fired a powerful shot, but García reacted brilliantly to prevent the rojiblanco goal.- Just a minute later, in the 58th minute, ‘Piojo’ Alvarado rose inside the box to meet a pinpoint cross from Bryan González, but the Toluca goalkeeper held onto the ball.- In the 66th minute, Roberto Alvarado broke down the right flank and sent a ball across for Brian Gutiérrez, who hit it first time, although his shot went over the crossbar. - In the 73rd minute, Bryan González popped up with a cross-shot aimed at the right post, but Luis García once again intervened to push the ball out for a corner.

Chivas 0-2 TolucaGoals: Alexis Vega (41’, pen.) and Jesús Gallardo (73’).Referee: Daniel Quintero Huitrón.Estadio AKRON.

Lineups

Chivas: 1 José Rangel; 3 Diego Campillo (Miguel Gómez, 85’), 23 Daniel Aguirre (17 Ricardo Marín, 85’), 5 Bryan González; 6 Omar Govea (33 Jordan Carrillo, 67’), 28 Fernando González, 7 Luis Romo, 37 Richard Ledezma (34 Armando González, 55’), 19 Kevin Castañeda (11 Brian Gutiérrez, 45’); 25 Roberto Alvarado (YC, 52’) and 9 Ángel Sepúlveda (RC, 47’).

Head coach: Gabriel Milito.

Toluca: 22 Luis García; 6 Andrés Pereira, 19 Santiago Simón, 20 Jesús Gallardo (YC, 60’), 25 Everardo López; 5 Franco Romero (YC, 19’), 8 Nicolás Castro (4 Bruno Méndez, 87’), 29 Jorge Díaz, 10 Jesús Angulo (24 Fernando Arce, 87’), 35 Erick Gutiérrez (11 Helinho, 59’) and 9 Alexis Vega (7 Víctor Guzmán, 69’).

Head coach: Antonio Mohamed.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.