Cruz Azul and Toluca drew 3-3 at Estadio Banorte on Saturday in a Liga MX Apertura 2026 Jornada 10 encounter that saw Toluca come back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 before the late equalizer. Gabriel Fernández headed home a 90+5th-minute equalizer to rescue a point for La Máquina.
Nicolás Ibáñez opened the scoring in the 7th minute and Fernández doubled the lead with a header in the 38th, but Toluca struck three times after the break. Helinho pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 55th minute after a VAR review, Alexis Vega struck in the 56th and 78th minutes to complete the turnaround, and Fernández had the final word deep in stoppage time. The draw takes Toluca to 20 points from 10 matches, provisionally top of the table, while Cruz Azul moves to 16 points, provisionally sixth.
Cruz Azul vs Toluca result
Joel Huiqui named a 5-3-2 with Andrés Gudiño in goal; Alan Mozo, Willer Ditta, Gonzalo Piovi, Jesús Orozco and Omar Campos across the back; Agustín Palavecino, Carlos Rodríguez and José Paradela in midfield; and Ibáñez alongside Fernández in attack. Antonio Mohamed answered with a 4-2-3-1: Luis García; Diego Barbosa, Bruno Méndez, Federico Pereira and Brian García; Luan García and Nicolás Castro; Pavel Pérez, Alexis Vega and Helinho behind Paulinho.
Cruz Azul struck first when Paradela slid a through ball to Ibáñez, who finished from inside the area in the 7th minute. The hosts doubled their lead in the 38th minute when Ibáñez crossed from the right and Fernández rose to head past Luis García. Barbosa was booked in the 37th minute, and Palavecino was cautioned in first-half stoppage time as Cruz Azul went into the break 2-0 up.
Toluca sent on Érick Gutiérrez for Barbosa at halftime. After a VAR review, referee Katia Itzel García awarded the visitors a penalty for Ditta’s foul on Luan García, and Helinho converted in the 55th minute to make it 2-1. Barely a minute later it was 2-2, as Vega’s cross from the left eluded everyone and ended up in Gudiño’s net. Huiqui responded with a double change in the 76th minute, introducing Luka Romero and Andrés Montaño for Palavecino and Ibáñez, but Toluca completed the comeback in the 78th minute when Vega finished a counterattack set up by Castro.
Cruz Azul thought they had leveled in the 79th minute, only for Romero’s strike to be ruled out for offside, and Luis García denied Romero again in the 86th minute. With nine minutes added, Ebere and Rogelio González replaced Mozo and Piovi in the 88th minute, Sebastián Aceves came on for Helinho in the 90th, and in the 95th minute Fernández rose between the center backs to head in the 3-3 before the final whistle confirmed the draw. Ditta and Piovi were also cautioned in the second half; there were no red cards.
Key match stats
| Stat | Cruz Azul | Toluca |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 44% | 56% |
| Shots | 17 | 14 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 6 |
| Corners | 4 | 5 |
| Saves | 5 | 7 |
Source: Sportradar match data.
Three takeaways
Toluca’s 23-minute blitz flipped the match. Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the visitors scored three times between the 55th and 78th minutes. Vega’s brace, a cross that eluded everyone followed by a counterattacking finish, made him the decisive figure in the comeback.
The VAR-awarded penalty was the hinge. Until the review of Ditta’s challenge on Luan García, Cruz Azul led 2-0. Helinho’s conversion at 55′ cut the deficit to 2-1, and within 60 seconds the score was level. Toluca added a third in the 78th minute before Cruz Azul’s stoppage-time equalizer.
Cruz Azul’s persistence in nine added minutes paid off. The disallowed Romero goal at 79′ and García’s 86th-minute save denied La Máquina, but the nine added minutes gave them one more chance. Fernández’s late header salvaged a point that keeps Cruz Azul inside the top eight.
What the result means for the Liga MX table
Toluca reach 20 points from 10 matches and stay provisionally first. Chivas Guadalajara stay on 18 points after their 0-2 home defeat to Querétaro, who move to 17 points, level with Atlas and Club America. Club America (17 points from 8 matches) can pull level with Toluca by winning at Necaxa on Sunday. Cruz Azul move to 16 points from 10 matches, provisionally sixth and inside the top eight.
There is no Play-In round in the Apertura 2026, so the top eight advance directly to the Liguilla quarterfinals. Neither club has anything mathematically settled at this stage, but both remain well placed in the qualification race with seven rounds of the regular season still to play.
What comes next
Liga MX now pauses for the FIFA international window, with Jornada 11 scheduled for October 9-11. Toluca travel to face Tigres UANL on Friday, October 9, while Cruz Azul visit Pumas UNAM on Sunday, October 11. Check the full Liga MX schedule and the rest of the Jornada 10 results.
Watch the highlights
Watch the official TUDN highlights from Cruz Azul’s 3-3 draw with Toluca at Estadio Banorte.
