Pachuca and Necaxa played out a 3-3 draw in a six-goal thriller at Estadio Hidalgo on Sunday October 11, in Liga MX Apertura 2026 Jornada 11, as Salomón Rondón scored twice in the final minutes to rescue a point for the hosts after Necaxa had led 3-1 with 11 minutes to play.
Necaxa took a two-goal lead into halftime through Matías Espíndola and Julián Carranza, and Juan Valencia’s 79th-minute penalty looked to have sealed the points for the visitors. But Rondón, now the tournament’s leading scorer with 12 goals, struck in the 84th and 87th minutes to complete Pachuca’s comeback and extend Necaxa’s winless run to nine league matches.
Result: Pachuca 3-3 Necaxa
Goals: Pachuca: Eduardo Bauermann 45+8′, Salomón Rondón 84′, 87′. Necaxa: Matías Espíndola 15′, Julián Carranza 41′, Juan Valencia 79′ (pen).
Competition: Liga MX Apertura 2026, Jornada 11
Venue: Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca de Soto
Pachuca vs Necaxa Match Recap
Necaxa struck first in the 15th minute, when Matías Espíndola finished to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at Estadio Hidalgo. Pachuca were handed a penalty later in the first half, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
Necaxa doubled the advantage four minutes before halftime, as Espíndola set up Julián Carranza for the 2-0. Pachuca pulled one back deep into first-half stoppage time, when Eduardo Bauermann rose to head home Oussama Idrissi’s delivery in the 45+8th minute to make it 2-1 at the break.
Substitutions shaped the second half. Necaxa brought on Juan Valencia for Carranza in the 52nd minute, and in the 63rd minute both sides made changes, with Alan Bautista and Gael Álvarez entering for Pachuca and Kevin Rosero and Lorenzo Faravelli coming on for Necaxa.
Valencia’s introduction proved decisive for the visitors when he converted a 79th-minute penalty to restore Necaxa’s two-goal lead at 3-1. Pachuca’s response was led by Rondón. In the 84th minute the striker headed in Rodolfo Pizarro’s delivery to cut the deficit to 3-2, and three minutes later Rondón struck again, once more from a Pizarro assist, to level the match at 3-3.
Necaxa could not hold on. The 3-3 result means the visitors are now winless in nine consecutive league matches, stretching back to their 2-1 win over Monterrey on July 26.
Starting Lineups
Pachuca (4-2-3-1): Carlos Moreno; Sebastián Santos, Eduardo Bauermann, Sergio Barreto, Francisco Venegas; Sergio Rodríguez, Christian Rivera; Ian Osorio, Rodolfo Pizarro, Oussama Idrissi; Salomón Rondón. Coach: Benjamín Mora.
Necaxa (4-1-4-1): Luis Jiménez; Emilio Martínez, Agustín Oliveros, Diego Ochoa, Carlos Vargas; Pedro Pedraza, Miguel Rodríguez, Danny Leyva, Matías Espíndola, Owen González; Julián Carranza. Coach: Juan Reynoso.
Three Takeaways From Pachuca vs Necaxa
1. Salomón Rondón’s one-man rescue
Pachuca’s comeback had one author. Rondón scored twice in three minutes, in the 84th and 87th, to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 draw, with Rodolfo Pizarro supplying the assist for both goals. The brace took Rondón to 12 league goals, extending his tournament scoring lead. On a night when Pachuca conceded three times at home, their striker’s output was the entire difference between zero points and one.
2. Pachuca’s defensive frailty at home
Scoring three goals at home should win a match. For Pachuca it barely salvaged a draw. Conceding three to the 17th-placed team, after a penalty decision went against them in the first half, points to a defense that has not held up. The draw extended Pachuca’s league winless run to three matches: a 2-2 draw with Tijuana, a 0-1 defeat at Santos, and now the 3-3 draw with Necaxa. The comeback papers over the cracks; the points total does not.
3. Juan Reynoso’s first point, but Necaxa let it slip
Juan Reynoso has his first point as Necaxa coach, after his first two matches ended in defeats. But this was a lead thrown away, not a result earned. Necaxa led 2-0 at halftime and 3-1 in the 79th minute through Valencia’s penalty, and still left Estadio Hidalgo with a draw. The winless run is now nine league matches, and with the Pumas vs Cruz Azul match still to be completed tonight, the full table picture for the jornada is still provisional.
What the Result Means
Pachuca moved to 13 points from 11 matches, up from 12, and remain outside the top eight places that qualify directly for the Liguilla quarterfinals. There is no Play-In in Apertura 2026, so the top eight advance straight to the knockout stage. All table positions are provisional until the rest of the jornada is played.
Necaxa stay 17th with 9 points from 11 matches. The draw earned Juan Reynoso his first point in charge of the club.
For context on the fixture, the previous meeting between the sides was the Clausura 2026 match at Estadio Hidalgo, which Pachuca won 2-1. Pachuca are unbeaten in their last eight matches against Necaxa.
What Comes Next
Pachuca travel to face Monterrey on Sunday October 18 at 19:00 Mexico Central time (20:00 CT / 21:00 ET) at Estadio BBVA. Necaxa host Atlas on Friday October 16 at 19:00 Mexico Central time (20:00 CT / 21:00 ET) at Estadio Victoria.
For U.S. viewing information for both fixtures, see the Liga MX viewing hub and the where-to-watch preview for this fixture.
