Atlas - Atl. San Luis: Atlas mounts late comeback to win 3-2 as Agustín Rodríguez scores on debut

Atlas - Atl. San Luis produced a late, decisive finish as Atlas overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at home in jornada 7. The result preserved Atlas’s unbeaten record in the current tournament and hinged on a debut goal from Agustín Rodríguez.

Key moments in Atlas - Atl. San Luis

The match started badly for the hosts when Joao Pedro put Atlético de San Luis ahead in the third minute with a half-turn finish. The situation worsened for Atlas when Eduardo Águila extended the visitors’ lead in the 41st minute. In added time of the first half, a goal by Rodrigo Schlegel was initially whistled off for offside, but a VAR review established there had been a foul on Alfonso González and a penalty was awarded. Diego González converted that spot kick to halve the deficit and shift momentum.

VAR interventions altered the course of the game

VAR played a decisive role twice in the encounter. The first intervention overturned the on-field decision to disallow Schlegel’s goal and produced the first penalty that brought Atlas back into the contest. Early in the second half, VAR again intervened after a hand by a potosino defender, leading to a second penalty that Eduardo Aguirre stepped up to convert and level the score.

Agustín Rodríguez’s debut and the Djuka exit

Atlas made an emergency signing from Juventud de Las Piedras following the departure of Djuka to Rayados, and the Uruguayan forward Agustín Rodríguez repaid the faith quickly. Coach Diego Cocca brought the player known as the "Toro" on at the 70th minute in place of Eduardo Aguirre; Rodríguez needed just 13 minutes to score his first goal in Mexico. At the 83rd minute he redirected a Rodrigo Schlegel attempt with a header to complete the comeback and secure the three points.

Gary Zaldívar returns after 457 days and midfield dynamics

One of the more positive developments for Atlas was the return of Gary Zaldívar to the starting lineup after an absence of 457 days caused by a ligament rupture. Zaldívar partnered with Aldo Rocha in midfield and produced glimpses of the form that sustained his inclusion. That return added depth and balance to the team that ultimately staged the recovery.

What the win means for Atlas and upcoming fixtures

The win keeps Atlas unbeaten in the present tournament and supplies momentum ahead of a busy stretch. Atlas will visit FC Juárez next Friday at the Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez before returning home to face Puebla on Saturday at the Estadio Libertad Financiera. The timing matters because the team must sustain form and fitness across two consecutive away and home assignments while integrating a new striker and managing returns from long-term injury.

What makes this notable is how a combination of VAR decisions, a midgame substitution and an emergency signing combined to reverse a game that looked out of reach after 41 minutes. The sequence — two early concessions, a VAR-awarded penalty in first-half added time, a second-half penalty, and a late header by the debutant — illustrates a clear cause-and-effect chain that decided the match.

Atlas’s ability to turn a 2-0 halftime deficit into a 3-2 victory was rooted in the momentum swing created by the VAR-awarded first penalty and the clinical conversions from the spot and in open play. The result also underlines the immediate impact intended by bringing Rodríguez from Juventud de Las Piedras and the importance of reintegrating players like Gary Zaldívar after long-term injury.