Santos Laguna beat Pachuca 1-0 at Estadio TSM Corona on Saturday night, with Fran Villalba’s penalty in the third minute of first-half stoppage time sealing a third consecutive Liga MX Apertura 2026 victory and lifting the Guerreros from 17th to 15th in the table.
Quick Match Summary
- Result: Santos Laguna 1-0 Pachuca
- Goals: Fran Villalba 45+3′ (pen)
- Competition: Liga MX Apertura 2026, Jornada 10
- Venue: Estadio TSM Corona, Torreon
Santos Laguna vs Pachuca Match Recap
The only goal of the night arrived at the end of the first half. Santos Laguna were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time, and Fran Villalba converted from the spot in the 45+3rd minute to send the hosts into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Pachuca responded with a double substitution at halftime, introducing Oussama Idrissi and Rodolfo Pizarro for Mauricio Isais and Alan Bautista, and chased an equalizer for the entire second half. The visitors could not find a way through: Pachuca attempted 11 shots without putting a single one on target, leaving Santos goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo without a save to make all night.
At the other end, Pachuca captain Carlos Moreno kept the deficit at one with seven saves, but the Tuzos never found a response. Diego Gonzalez of Santos and Sergio Barreto and Carlos Sanchez of Pachuca were all booked in second-half stoppage time as Santos closed out a third straight victory. Neither side finished with a red card.
Match Stats
| Stat | Santos Laguna | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 56% | 44% |
| Shots | 12 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 0 |
| Corners | 10 | 4 |
| Saves | 0 | 7 |
| Fouls | 12 | 13 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
Match data: Sportradar.
Starting Lineups
Santos Laguna: Carlos Acevedo; Efrain Orona, Mauricio Cuevas, Felipe Sanchez, Franco Pardo; Kevin Palacios, Ezequiel Bullaude, Facundo Caseres, Fran Villalba; Esteban Lozano, Diego Gonzalez.
Pachuca: Carlos Moreno; Sebastian Santos, Eduardo Bauermann, Sergio Barreto, Mauricio Isais; Sergio Lenin Rodriguez, Christian Rivera, Alan Bautista; Javier Nicolas Vallejo, Francisco Venegas, Salomon Rondon.
Three Takeaways From Santos Laguna vs Pachuca
1. Santos Laguna’s turnaround has produced three straight wins
Santos started the night in 17th place with two wins from nine matches. The victory over Pachuca followed the 2-1 home win over FC Juarez and the 3-2 comeback at Toluca, completing the club’s first three-match winning run of the Apertura 2026. Santos has taken nine points from its last three matches after collecting a single point from the previous seven, and the Guerreros are suddenly back in the conversation for the Play-In places.
2. Fran Villalba is becoming Santos Laguna’s decisive player
Villalba’s penalty was his second decisive goal in as many matches. The midfielder scored the 90+5th-minute winner in the 3-2 comeback at Toluca in Jornada 9, and he kept his nerve from the spot in the 45+3rd minute against Pachuca. With Lucas Di Yorio sidelined long term, Santos needed someone to decide tight matches, and Villalba has answered twice in a week.
3. Pachuca’s attack misfired and the unbeaten run is over
Pachuca arrived in Torreon unbeaten in five league matches, with two wins and three draws. At Estadio TSM Corona, the Tuzos generated 11 shots but failed to put a single one on target, and striker Salomon Rondon was kept quiet. A win would have taken Pachuca to 15 points and into the top 10; instead the Tuzos stay 11th on 12 points and leave with nothing from a match they could not afford to lose ground in.
What the Result Means
The win moves Santos Laguna up to 15th place with 10 points from 10 matches, now just two points behind Pachuca. The Tuzos remain 11th on 12 points after seeing their five-match unbeaten run come to an end. Both clubs sit outside the Play-In places with seven jornadas remaining in the regular season, so the race for the top 10 remains open for each of them. Table positions are as of Saturday night, with three Sunday fixtures still to be played.
What Comes Next
Santos Laguna travels to face Atletico San Luis on Sunday, October 11 in Jornada 11, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 PM CT. Pachuca hosts Necaxa the same day at Estadio Hidalgo, kicking off at 6:15 PM CT. For U.S. TV and streaming information for upcoming Liga MX matches, see FutnSoccer’s Liga MX viewing hub.
