Atlas and Chivas battled to a 1-1 tie in another edition of the Clasico Tapatio. Once again the Clasico Tapatio gave a exciting match to Liga MX, with a lively match. Chivas was the slightly better team although the improving Atlas this time gave a solid performance and the tie could be a deserved result. Chivas will remain in Guadalajara where they will host Tigres. Atlas will travel north to face off against Necaxa.
The 1st half started with both teams coming out with their best as the match was going to be played on heavy rain from the tropical storms in the Pacific Ocean. Less than a minute into the match, an incredibly controversial play happened when Roberto Alvarado got off a left footed shot in the area that was deflected wide by Jorge Sanchez with a handball but the ref called a dubious previous foul and didn’t give a Penalty Kick to Chivas. Brian Gutierrez got off a left footed shot from outside the area that went well wide. Roberto Alvarado got off a left footed shot from outside the area that went into the stands. Off a free kick, Luis Rey tried to surprise Atlas but his right footed shot went just wide. After Atlas gave up the ball to Chivas just outside the area, Ricardo Marin would get the ball and get off a left footed shot that forced a wonderful save from Atlas’s goalkeeper, Camilo Vargas. Off a free kick, the cross into the area was just out of reach of Juan Jose Purata. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was cleared into the path of Richard Ledezma, who got off a great right footed shot that incredibly was deflected white by his teammate, Daniel Aguirre. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was headed from close range by Rey but Vargas made a fantastic save. A low shot that Vargas blocked would bounce into the path of Marin, who scored but the play was ruled to be offside. The halftime whistle blew and although it had been a lively Clasico Tapatio, the game remained scoreless.
The 2nd half started with Chivas subbing out injured Diego Campillo for Carlos Hernandez. Ryan Mmaee would get into the area and get off a shot that was deflected wide by Hernandez. A cross into the area fell to Purata, who got off a right footed shot that went wide. A longball would have Kevin Zenon beating three Chivas defenders to it before controlling the ball and getting off a left footed shot past Chivas’ goalkeeper, Raul Rangel to score and give Atlas the 1-0 lead. It was a surprising score as Chivas had been slightly better although Atlas looked better in the few minutes played in the 2nd half. Off a free kick, the cross into the area was headed wide by Florian Monzon. Atlas subbed out Paulo Ramirez for Edgar Zaldivar. Chivas subbed out Ricardo Marin, Richard Ledezma and Leonel Calderon for Santiago Cambero, Hugo Camberos and Kevin Castañeda. A thru ball reached Sandoval, who was dropped with a foul by Zaldivar and a Penalty Kick was given to Chivas. Angel Sepulveda stepped up to take the PK but his right footed shot was brilliantly saved by Vargas and the match remained 1-0. This made it a second consecutive Clasico Tapatio were Vargas had stopped a Chivas PK. In the ensuing corner kick, Rey got off a header that Vargas easily saved. Atlas subbed out Elias Montiel for Aldo Rocha. Luis Esteves got off a right footed shot that was brilliantly saved by Rangel, although the play would be ruled as offside. A counter ended up with Gutierrez making a great pass to Angel Sepulveda, who was wide open in the area and would get off a low left footed shot past Vargas to score and tie the match at 1-1. Atlas subbed out Ryan Mmaee for Santiago Hernandez. Chivas subbed out Roberto Alvarado for Efrain Alvarez. Sandoval got the ball in the area but his right footed shot went wide. Off a corner kick, the cross into the area was headed by Purata but Rangel made a phenomenal save to keep the match tied. On a counter, Kevin Castañeda made a harsh foul which earned him a second yellow card and thus a red, leaving Chivas with 10 players for the last two minutes. The match ended and after a great 2nd half, the match ended with a tie.
Chivas and Atlas lived up to expectations as the Apertura 2026 continues to give us great performances in the Clasicos. Chivas was the slightly better team as the host Atlas struggled in the 1st half but they picked up in the 2nd and the tie was a deserved results with both teams missing great opportunities. Chivas improved after their past match in which they lost at home to Queretaro. They will be favored at home against Tigres but they must be careful against a team that has had recent success with them. Atlas will travel to Aguascalientes to face off against Necaxa.