León edged FC Juárez 2-1 at the Estadio León on Sunday night, with substitute Alfonso Alvarado scoring in the 90+9th minute to settle a Liga MX Apertura 2026 Jornada 10 match that produced all three of its goals in the final quarter of an hour.
Francisco Nevárez’s 76th-minute own goal put the hosts ahead, Óscar Estupiñán equalized from the penalty spot in the 90+4th minute after a VAR review, and Alvarado struck the winner deep in added time with a right-footed finish from a cross. The victory lifts León to 17 points and, provisionally, fifth place in the table, while last-place Juárez remains on three points.
León vs FC Juárez result
The first half ended scoreless despite an early scare for the hosts: Juárez had a goal ruled out for offside in the 38th minute. León controlled possession but could not break through before the break.
Javier Gandolfi made two changes at halftime, sending on Salvador Reyes for Sebastián Vegas and Juan Domínguez for Jordi Cortizo, and the hosts pushed harder after the restart. The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute when a León cross forced Nevárez into an own goal that put the ball past Sebastián Jurado.
Juárez refused to fold. After a VAR review in the 90+2nd minute, the visitors were awarded a penalty, and Estupiñán converted in the 90+4th minute to make it 1-1. It was the striker’s sixth goal of the tournament, and he has now scored six of Juárez’s seven goals in the Apertura.
But León had the final word. In the 90+9th minute, Alvarado, who had come on for Fernando Beltrán in the 58th minute, met a cross in the box and fired a right-footed shot past Jurado to restore the lead. The visitors had no time to respond, and the final whistle confirmed León’s third consecutive home league win.
Earlier, Alvarado had produced a spectacular bicycle-kick attempt that did not count. Madson briefly required treatment for a knock in the 75th minute but continued. The only cards of a hard-fought match were yellow: Vegas and Juan José Guevara Possu for León, Jesús Murillo and Nevárez for Juárez.
León’s starting lineup: Irving Martínez; Iván Moreno, Jhohan Romaña, Juan José Guevara Possu, Sebastián Vegas; José Rodríguez, Fernando Beltrán, Jesús Aldair Lara Sánchez; Jordi Cortizo, Ismael Díaz, Diber Cambindo.
FC Juárez’s starting lineup: Sebastián Jurado; Francisco Nevárez, Jesús Murillo, Gilberto Sepúlveda, Daniel Piña, Alejandro Mayorga; Ricardinho, Leonardo Rodríguez, Monchu; Óscar Estupiñán, Madson.
The win follows León’s 1-1 draw at Querétaro in Jornada 9, giving León four points from its last two matches.
Key match stats
| Stat | León | FC Juárez |
| Possession | 56% | 44% |
| Shots | 5 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 2 |
| Corners | 1 | 4 |
| Saves | 1 | 2 |
| Fouls | 13 | 14 |
| Offsides | 6 | 0 |
Stats via Sportradar.
Three takeaways
Alvarado made the difference off the bench
Alvarado entered in the 58th minute for Beltrán and changed the match. His earlier bicycle-kick attempt did not count, but he kept arriving in the box, and when the decisive cross came in the 90+9th minute he made no mistake. It was a genuine match-winning contribution from a substitute in a game where the starters had gone 75 minutes without scoring.
Seventy-five scoreless minutes, then chaos
Nothing separated the sides for the first 75 minutes, and then the match exploded. An own goal from a cross, a VAR-awarded penalty and a stoppage-time winner decided it in the span of 15 minutes. Notably, Juárez finished with more shots (8 to 5) and more corners (4 to 1) than León, yet left with nothing: the hosts were more efficient in the moments that mattered, putting three of their five shots on target.
León strengthens its Liguilla position; Juárez sinks deeper
The three points move León to 17 points and provisionally fifth, three points clear of the top-eight cutoff with the regular season entering its second half. It was also León’s fourth straight home win over Juárez. The Bravos, meanwhile, stay last on three points with the tournament’s weakest attack (seven goals) and weakest defense (25 conceded), and remain winless on the road with five defeats in five away matches.
What the result means for the Liga MX table
León now has 17 points from 10 matches (5 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses) with a plus-3 goal difference, sitting provisionally fifth behind Querétaro on goal difference and ahead of Atlas on the same 17 points. The win keeps León three points above eighth-placed Tijuana, the last of the eight teams that qualify directly for the Liguilla quarterfinals. With Necaxa vs Club America still to be decided on Sunday night, León’s exact position could still shift. Elsewhere on Sunday, Atlético San Luis beat Pumas UNAM 3-2.
For Juárez, the picture stays bleak: one win, no draws and nine defeats from 10 matches, last place, and a minus-18 goal difference. The Bravos had hoped their first win of the tournament, the 2-0 home victory over Tigres UANL in Jornada 9, would spark a turnaround; instead they have now lost again, and their road record stays at five defeats from five away matches.
What comes next
León travels to face Puebla on Friday, October 9 in Jornada 11, looking to extend its strong home run with a result on the road. FC Juárez hosts Tijuana on Saturday, October 10, still searching for a first away point of the season. For the full Liga MX schedule and how to follow every match, see FutnSoccer’s Liga MX TV and streaming guide.
