Tahiel Jiménez scored twice to complete a second-half comeback as Santos Laguna beat Atletico San Luis 2-1 on Sunday at Estadio Libertad Financiera, extending the visitors’ winning streak to four matches and lifting them to within two points of the Liguilla places in Liga MX Apertura 2026 Jornada 11. Óscar Macías had given San Luis the lead with a 19th-minute header, but Jiménez struck in the 34th minute and again in the 64th to secure the young striker’s first brace in Liga MX play and snap San Luis’ two-game winning run.
Result: Atletico San Luis 1-2 Santos Laguna
Goals: Atletico San Luis: Óscar Macías 19′. Santos Laguna: Tahiel Jiménez 34′, 64′.
Competition: Liga MX Apertura 2026, Jornada 11
Venue: Estadio Libertad Financiera, San Luis de Potosi
Atletico San Luis vs Santos Laguna Match Recap
San Luis struck first in the 19th minute of a match previewed as one both sides badly needed to win. After a corner swung in by Sébastien Salles-Lamonge, Óscar Macías rose to meet it and directed a header past Carlos Acevedo for the 1-0 lead. The hosts carried the better of the possession in the opening half and threatened to extend the advantage, with David Rodríguez sending an effort wide of the post.
Santos responded before the interval. In the 34th minute, Ezequiel Bullaude carried the ball to the edge of the area and delivered a cross, which Tahiel Jiménez met with a diving header to level the score at 1-1. The teams went into the break even.
The second half produced the decisive moment in the 64th minute. Mauricio Cuevas drove into the area and fired at goal; Gibrán Lajud saved the initial effort but could not hold it, and Jiménez reacted first to the rebound to drive home the 2-1 winner with his right foot from close range.
San Luis pushed for an equalizer and twice came close through Rafa Llorente, who struck the post in the second half and later sent a late chance just wide. Santos held on for the three points. The match’s only card was a 65th-minute yellow for Jiménez for dangerous play. There were no penalties and no red cards.
Match Stats
| Possession | 56% | 44% |
| Shots | 18 | 12 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 5 |
| Corners | 6 | 3 |
| Saves | 3 | 3 |
| Fouls | 9 | 13 |
| Offsides | 2 | 4 |
Source: Sportradar match data. Columns show Atletico San Luis, then Santos Laguna.
Starting Lineups
Atletico San Luis (3-4-2-1, coach Diego Mejía): Gibrán Lajud; Benjamín Galindo, Aldo Cruz, Eduardo Águila; Román Torres, Óscar Macías, Sébastien Salles-Lamonge, Anderson Duarte; David Rodríguez, Rafa Llorente; Felipe Mora. Substitutes: Sebastián Pérez Bouquet (69′), Lucas Esteves (for Felipe Mora); Roberto Meráz, Luis Nájera (76′); Leonardo Flores (86′).
Santos Laguna (5-4-1, coach Renato Paiva): Carlos Acevedo; Mauricio Cuevas, Franco Pardo, Efraín Orona, Felipe Sánchez; Diego González, Facundo Cáseres, Ezequiel Bullaude, Ramiro Sordo; Fran Villalba; Tahiel Jiménez. Substitutes: Emmanuel Echeverría (69′); Esteban Lozano, Aldo López (79′); Eduardo Aguirre, Kevin Palacios (for Ezequiel Bullaude and Diego González).
Three Takeaways From Atletico San Luis vs Santos Laguna
1. Tahiel Jiménez’s first Liga MX brace wins it
The Santos academy product and son of former Santos forward Walter “Lorito” Jiménez decided the match with two different finishes: a diving header from Bullaude’s cross to equalize in the 34th minute and a close-range strike after Lajud’s parry in the 64th. The double marks Jiménez’s first brace in Liga MX competition and capped the second consecutive game in which Santos came from behind to win on the road.
2. Four straight wins and the turnaround has Santos two points off the Liguilla zone
The victory extended Santos’ run to four consecutive wins (2-1 vs Juarez, 3-2 at Toluca, 1-0 vs Pachuca, 2-1 at San Luis), a turnaround from six defeats in their first seven matches. The run began with the 2-1 win over Juarez and includes the 3-2 comeback at Toluca. The three points moved Santos from 16th to 14th on 13 points from 11 played, leaving the visitors two points behind eighth-place Tijuana (15 points) with the Liguilla quarterfinal spots now in sight. With no Play-In round this season, only the top eight reach the quarterfinals directly, and Santos’ back-to-back away wins have pulled them into the race.
3. San Luis wasteful at home as the streaks end and pressure grows on Mejía
San Luis outshot Santos 18-12 and held 56% of possession, but only four of those attempts were on target, and Llorente’s two misses (a second-half post, a late shot just wide) proved costly. The defeat ended San Luis’ two-game winning streak, which had included a 3-1 win over Necaxa and a 3-2 win at Pumas, and broke a five-game head-to-head winning streak over Santos (the visitors’ last win in this fixture had come in Apertura 2023, 0-2 at San Luis). The hosts remain on just one home win all season (vs Necaxa), and sections of the home crowd called for coach Diego Mejía’s exit.
What the Result Means
Santos Laguna climbs from 16th to 14th with 13 points from 11 matches played, now just two points behind eighth-place Tijuana (15 points). Atletico San Luis drops from 14th to 15th with 12 points from 11 played, three points behind the eighth-place mark. All Jornada 11 matches are complete, so these are final positions. With no Play-In round this season, the top eight clubs advance directly to the Liguilla quarterfinals. For full standings context, see our Liga MX news section.
What Comes Next
Atletico San Luis travels to Toluca on Saturday, October 17, with kickoff at 19:00 Mexico Central (20:00 CT / 21:00 ET) at Estadio Nemesio Diez. Santos Laguna returns home to host Queretaro the same day, Saturday, October 17, at 17:00 Mexico Central (18:00 CT / 19:00 ET) at Estadio TSM Corona in Torreon. A confirmed Queretaro fixture marks Santos’ next opportunity to extend the four-game winning streak, while San Luis must find answers on the road after another home defeat.
