The Cougars achieved a very important result by defeating Monterrey 2-0. Pumas’ best performance of the 2026 Spring League was when they were a good team and beat one of the normal candidates for the Liga MX title. The Cougars are back in contention for the third-place spot, but will face a tough task next week when they travel to Necasah. Monterrey will return home to face second-placed Cruz Azul.
At the beginning of the first half, Pumas came on the field, with Pedro Vite and Adalberto Carrasquilla as the new starting midfield combination. Sergio Canales received a wonderful through pass in the penalty area but incredibly he lost the ball after passing it back instead of shooting. Rodrigo Lopez passed the ball and Alvaro Angulo volleyed a wonderful volley past Monterrey goalkeeper Luis Cardenas to score, giving Cougars a 1-0 lead. Canales made a header pass, but it was easily saved by Pumas goalkeeper Navas. Ricardo Chavez fired a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, forcing Navas to make a great save. From the corner kick, Robert Morales headed the goal from close range, but was saved by Cardenas. He then passed the ball to Alvaro Angulo, who shot a close shot with his left foot past Cardenas and into the top of the net to score again, giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Monterrey replaced Roberto de la Rosa with the injured Fidel Ambriz. De La Rosa headed the ball into the penalty area, and Navas struggled to save. Luca Aureliano’s left-footed shot went just wide after a run. Luis Reyes’ left-footed shot from outside the penalty area was saved by Navas. Carrasqueira’s brilliant pass set up Juninho for a 1-on-1, but his right-footed shot was saved by Cardenas. Another counterattack ended when Jordan Carrillo shot with his right foot from outside the penalty area, and Cardenas made another wonderful save. On the ensuing corner, Nathan headed the ball back, but Carrasqueira then collected the ball and incredibly headed it wide from extremely close range. Canales shot with his left foot from outside the penalty area, but Navas saved it. Aureliano made a pass and De La Rosa’s header went slightly wide. The half-time whistle blew, ending a lively first half with the home team clearly in the ascendancy.
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The second half started without any changes at halftime. Canales’ cross was just beyond the reach of the Monterrey attackers. A cross was passed to Uros Durdevic in the penalty area, and he shot wide with his right foot from close range. Oliver Torres made a right-footed pass and his shot was saved by Navas. Pumas replaced Uriel Antuna with Juninho. Dudevich made a cross and his header went wide. Angulo shot with his left foot from outside the penalty area and the ball went wide. Monterrey replaced Eric Aguirre and Gerardo Artega with Ricardo Chavez and Luis Reyes. After a great combination play, Morales fired a right-footed shot straight at Cardenas. The Cougars replaced Guillermo Martinez with Jordan Carrillo. Aureliano’s left-footed shot from outside the penalty area missed slightly. Monterrey replaced Lucas Ocampos and Jesus Corona with Iker Fimbres and Luca Aureliano. Martinez’s left-footed shot in the penalty area was deflected. A poor clearance by Cardenas left the ball to Angulo, and when he had an open goal, he would kick a bicycle kick that went wide. Ocampos passed the ball and his header went wide. Dudevic headed a header in the penalty area but was saved by Navas. Pumas replaced Jose Caicedo and Jesus Rivas with Robert Morales and Rodrigo Lopez. Dudevich made a cross and his header went slightly wide. As the final whistle blew, the Cougars had achieved a huge result that kept them at the top of the table.
The Cougars’ strong performance gives them their best finish to date in the 2026 Spring League. While their win over the Tigers in Monterey was a better result, it came from a very defensive performance in which the Cougars scored on the play and went into defensive mode, hanging on for dear life. The Cougars were better on Sunday and got a deserved win against one of the best teams in Mexico’s La Liga on paper. Although the Cougars were the better team, their defense was a bit troubling and was hurt by a poor showing in the final third by the Monterrey attackers. However, the victory was well deserved and Pumas now continue to surprise many by continuing to sit third in the Mexican league. Next week they will travel north to face Necaxa, where they will face a tough test. Monterrey will have a tougher game at home against the Blue Cross, with rumors suggesting the defeat could spell the end of Domenic Torrent’s tenure as coach.