Atlántico Falls 1-0 to San Luis After Late Penalty Miss in Apertura 2026

Atlético de San Luis secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Atlante at the Estadio Banorte on Friday during the 14th round of the Liga MX Apertura 2026 tournament. The deciding moment arrived in the second half when Benjamín Galdames scored with a powerful strike, keeping his team's playoff aspirations alive.

The match began with a tightly contested first half characterized by strong midfield battles and exceptional goalkeeping. Both Atlante goalkeeper Óscar Jiménez and San Luis shot-stopper Gibrán Lajud made crucial saves to keep the scoreboard clean through the opening forty-five minutes. Atlante's Luis Puente and Luis Calzadilla both squandered promising scoring opportunities before the intermission.

The deadlock broke in the 59th minute when Chilean forward Felipe Mora held off defenders and laid the ball off to Galdames. From the edge of the penalty area, Galdames launched a precise right-footed shot into the upper right corner, leaving Jiménez with no chance and putting the visitors ahead.

Trailing by a goal, Atlante pushed forward aggressively in search of an equalizer as the match entered stoppage time. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 94th minute following a video review of a foul by Lajud inside the box.

Paraguayan defender Walter Clar stepped up to take the penalty for Atlante, but Lajud guessed correctly and blocked the shot. On the immediate rebound, Clar had another chance to equalize, but his follow-up attempt struck the crossbar and bounced away, preserving the lead for San Luis.

The defeat leaves Atlante in the 15th position of the general standings with 14 points, placing the team managed by Miguel Herrera on the verge of elimination with just a few matches remaining. Meanwhile, the victory lifted Atlético de San Luis into 10th place with 19 points, continuing their push toward the final phase of the tournament.