The Xolos of Tijuana were unable to secure a win despite Kevin Castañeda’s impressive two-goal performance, ultimately losing 4-3 to Puebla in the 13th round of Liga MX. The home team’s goals came from Ricardo Marín (21’ 2T), Álvaro De La Rosa (23’ 2T), and Carlos Baltazar (37’ 2T and 49’ 2T). The visitors managed to score through Kevin Castañeda (6’ 2T, penalty and 13’ 2T) and Mourad El Ghezouani (24’ 2T).
One of the main turning points occurred early in the match when Puebla’s defender Fernando Monarrez missed a penalty in the 25th minute of the first half, denying his team a chance to take the lead.
Carlos Baltazar emerged as the key player for Puebla, netting two goals and contributing significantly to the game with two shots on target. Meanwhile, Kevin Castañeda’s performance for Tijuana also shone through as he found the net twice and took four shots.
Puebla’s coach, Hernán Cristante, opted for a 5-4-1 formation, featuring Julio González in goal; Álvaro De La Rosa, Eduardo Navarro, Nicolás Díaz, Efrain Orona, and Fernando Monarrez forming the defense; Edgar Guerra, Luis Rey, Alejandro Organista, and Emiliano Gómez in the midfield; and Ricardo Marín spearheading the attack.
On the other side, Tijuana’s coach, Sebastián Abreu, deployed a 4-4-2 setup with Antonio Rodríguez as the goalkeeper; Rafael Fernández, Jackson Porozo, Jesús Gómez, and Jesús Vega in defense; Ramiro Árciga, Frank Boya, Iván Tona, and Adonis Preciado in midfield; and Gilberto Mora alongside Kevin Castañeda up front.
The match, officiated by referee Marco Ortiz Nava, saw Puebla’s next match set to take them against Club América, while Tijuana will look to bounce back at home against Toluca FC at Estadio Caliente.
As the match concluded, Puebla secured 20 points, placing them in sixth position of the league, while Tijuana remained at the bottom with just 8 points in eighteenth place.
Substitutions for Puebla
64’ 2T – Edgar Guerra out, Ángelo Araos in.
65’ 2T – Fernando Monarrez out, Carlos Baltazar in.
78’ 2T – Alejandro Organista out, Brayan Garnica in.
90’ 2T – Eduardo Navarro out, José Pachuca in.
Yellow Cards for Puebla
25’ 1T – Alejandro Organista.
Substitutions for Tijuana
45’ 2T – Adonis Preciado out, Mourad El Ghezouani in.
67’ 2T – Iván Tona out, Kevin Escamilla in; Frank Boya out, Unai Bilbao in.
68’ 2T – Kevin Castañeda out, Domingo Blanco in.
77’ 2T – Gilberto Mora out, Ezequiel Bullaude in.
Yellow Cards for Tijuana
12’ 2T – Iván Tona; 41’ 2T – Ezequiel Bullaude.