Friday night lights at Estadio Victoria shone bright as Necaxa delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over Atlético San Luis in the fifth round of the Liga MX Clausura 2026. The win, witnessed by a capacity crowd of nearly 24,000, not only injected fresh hope into Necaxa’s campaign but also intensified the pressure on Atlético San Luis, who now find themselves scrambling for answers in a fiercely competitive league where every point is gold.
The stakes were sky-high coming into this matchup. Both squads, mired in a shaky start to the tournament, desperately needed three points to avoid slipping further behind in the postseason race. With only eight teams advancing to the playoffs, the margin for error is razor-thin. The urgency was palpable in the air, and fans could feel it from the first whistle.
Necaxa, under the guidance of head coach Martín Varini, wasted no time asserting their dominance. Just four minutes into the match, Julián Carranza found the back of the net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. The early goal set the tone for what would become a relentless offensive display from the Rayos. According to MARCA MX’s minute-by-minute coverage, "¡Gooooool! Necaxa 1, Atlético San Luis 0. Julián Carranza (Necaxa) remate con la derecha desde el lado derecho del interior del área."
Atlético San Luis, led by coach Guillermo Abascal, tried to steady the ship but struggled to generate clear chances in the first half. The visitors’ best opportunity came off a Sébastien Salles-Lamonge cross, but Eduardo Águila’s header drifted wide, leaving Necaxa’s defense largely untroubled. The first half ended with Necaxa holding a slender 1-0 advantage, but the action was just heating up.
After the break, Necaxa ramped up the intensity. Coach Varini made tactical adjustments, bringing on Tomás Badaloni for Julián Carranza—a move that paid off handsomely. In the 59th minute, Badaloni rose above the defenders to nod home a pinpoint cross, doubling Necaxa’s lead and sending the fans into jubilation. As reported in the live updates, "¡Gooooool! Necaxa 2, Atlético San Luis 0. Tomás Badaloni (Necaxa) remate de cabeza desde el centro del área."
The Rayos weren’t done yet. Just seven minutes later, Alexis Peña capitalized on a corner kick, heading the ball past a helpless Andrés Sánchez to make it 3-0. The set-piece execution was textbook, and Peña’s celebration showed just how much the goal meant to the squad. The momentum was all with the home side, and Atlético San Luis looked rattled.
In the 73rd minute, Necaxa’s Ricardo Monreal put the result beyond doubt. Latching onto a loose ball in the box, Monreal calmly slotted it home for Necaxa’s fourth of the evening. The crowd erupted once again—what a night it was turning out to be for the Rayos faithful. As the live commentary noted, "¡Gooooool! Necaxa 4, Atlético San Luis 0. Ricardo Monreal (Necaxa) remate con la derecha desde muy cerca."
Atlético San Luis, to their credit, refused to roll over. In stoppage time, João Pedro—who had been at the center of recent transfer rumors but remained committed as team captain—converted a penalty to give the visitors a consolation goal. The final whistle confirmed a 4-1 triumph for Necaxa, a result that will surely boost confidence heading into a tough stretch of fixtures.
Discipline was a talking point throughout the contest. Necaxa’s Lorenzo Faravelli and Julián Carranza were both shown yellow cards, while Atlético San Luis’s Robson Bambu saw red after picking up a second booking. The referee, under the watchful eyes of the crowd and broadcast teams on Claro Sports, VIX Premium, and TUDN, kept a firm grip on proceedings, ensuring tempers didn’t boil over despite the high stakes.
The tactical battle in midfield was especially intriguing, with Faravelli pulling the strings for Necaxa and Salles-Lamonge orchestrating for Atlético San Luis. The duel between these two playmakers was highlighted before the match as a key to unlocking the game, and it certainly delivered drama, with both players heavily involved in their teams’ attacking moves.
Substitutions played a pivotal role, as Varini’s timely changes injected fresh energy into the Necaxa lineup. Cristian Calderón, Ricardo Alonso, and Rogelio Cortéz all made appearances from the bench, helping to maintain the team’s intensity and defensive solidity as the game wore on. On the other side, Abascal shuffled his pack with the introductions of Santiago Muñóz, Fidel Barajas, and Leonardo Flores, but the changes couldn’t stem the Necaxa tide.
With the victory, Necaxa looks to have turned a corner after a shaky start to the Clausura 2026. The Rayos’ next fixtures include tough tests against Juárez, Toluca, León, Pachuca, and Pumas—each game now carrying added significance as they chase a coveted playoff spot. Atlético San Luis, meanwhile, will need to regroup quickly, with upcoming matches against Querétaro, Atlas, Puebla, Mazatlán, and a daunting trip to Cruz Azul looming on the horizon.
Broadcast coverage for the match was extensive, with fans able to tune in via Claro Sports and VIX Premium in Mexico, as well as TUDN in the United States. Kickoff times were coordinated across the Americas, allowing supporters from Argentina to Honduras to catch the action live. Estadio Victoria, with its 23,898-seat capacity, provided the perfect backdrop for a night of high drama in Aguascalientes.
Looking at the bigger picture, this result shakes up the Liga MX standings and sends a clear message: Necaxa is back in the hunt. The Rayos, buoyed by a passionate home crowd and a resurgent attack, have reignited their playoff ambitions. For Atlético San Luis, the road ahead looks challenging, but there’s still time to right the ship in this unpredictable Clausura campaign.
As the dust settles on a memorable night at Estadio Victoria, Necaxa’s faithful can savor a performance brimming with energy, precision, and determination. With the postseason race heating up, every match will count—and if Friday’s display is anything to go by, the Rayos are ready to make some serious noise in Liga MX.