Mazatlán - Pachuca: Mazatlán shocks Pachuca 1-0 as Dudu ends 906-minute drought
The mazatlán - pachuca clash in Jornada 8 of the Clausura 2026 ended in a 1-0 home win for Mazatlán, a result that snapped the team's poor run at El Encanto and delivered the club a rare morale boost. The victory matters now because it finally produced a first home win for Mazatlán this Clausura and stopped a goalless streak for Luiz Teodora 'Dudu' after 906 minutes.
Mazatlán - Pachuca: decisive moments and the goalscorer
The only goal arrived in first-half added time (45') when a long ball into the area found captain Facundo Almada, who brought the ball down and nodded it into the path of Dudu. The Brazilian striker, identified in the lineup as Luiz Teodora 'Dudu', finished unmarked past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno to settle the score.
Pachuca had earlier created the clearest opening of the first half: Salomón Rondón saw a sequence of rebounds settle at his feet just a couple of metres from the line in the 13th minute but failed to direct the shot on target. Later, Enner Valencia also missed a clear chance as he continues adjusting to his role for Pachuca; that miss was highlighted as one that could have changed the game's outcome.
Dudu Teodora ends 906-minute drought
Dudu’s goal was his first since arriving to Mexican football last season; the context places the gap at 906 minutes without scoring. The striker had been listed as one of Mazatlán’s marquee reinforcements from the previous campaign and finally found the net in stoppage time of the first half, providing the match-winner for the Cañoneros.
Sergio Bueno, club context and standings impact
The 2026 campaign had been difficult for Mazatlán, a season framed in the match notes as the club’s last tournament in Liga MX, but results have improved since the arrival of coach Sergio Bueno. This win represented Mazatlán’s second victory of the season and lifted the team to seven points and 14th place in the table; Pachuca remained on 14 points in fifth.
Discipline, minutes requirement and tactical swings
Mazatlán finished the game a man down after Sebastián Santos was sent off at 74'—an action also noted as roughly 15 minutes from the end—forcing the hosts to defend their slim lead under sustained pressure. Both Mazatlán and Pachuca are noted as leaders in the Liga MX metric tracking minutes for age-limited players, and during this Jornada 8 meeting both clubs completed the 1, 300 minutes that the competition requires.
Lineups, substitutions and personnel
Mazatlán started with Ricardo Rodríguez in goal; Jair Díaz, Lucas Meroilla, Facundo Almada and Sebastián Santos across the back line. The midfield and attack included Said Godínez (replaced 79' by Joaquín Esquivel), Mauro Zaleta, Josué Ovalle (62' out for Mauro Laínez) and Yoel Bárcenas, with Brian Rubio (79' Ángel Saavedra) and Dudu Teodora (69' Jesús Hernández) up front.
Pachuca’s XI read Carlos Moreno; Brian García, Sergio Barreto, Eduardo Bauermann and Carlos Sánchez (80' Cristóbal Hernández); Sergio Rodríguez (56' Víctor Guzmán), Cristian Rivera, Alan Bautista (46' Enner Valencia); Alexei Domínguez (56' Kenedy), Oussama Idrissi (46' Luis Quiñones) and Salomón Rondón.
Wider Jornada 8 context and fixtures
The match took place on Friday, 27 February, and formed part of a busy Jornada 8. Earlier on the same card, Querétaro drew 2-2 with Santos Laguna: the local side’s goals came from Mateo Coronel and a Santiago Homenchenko penalty, while Santos replied through Lucas Di Yorio from the spot and Carlos Gruezo; both Santos scorers were later expelled in the second half.
Friday’s activity was set to close with Pumas UNAM, whose squad includes goalkeeper Keylor Navas, facing Tijuana, coached by Sebastián 'Loco' Abreu, and a separate fixture between Juárez and Atlas. Jornada 8 was scheduled to continue on Saturday with five matches highlighted: Toluca against league leader Guadalajara, Guadalajara led by Argentine Gabriel Milito; Monterrey against Cruz Azul; Tigres, where Ángel Correa features, visiting América; San Luis versus Puebla; and León against Necaxa. The fixture list and calendar have drawn outspoken criticism, with coach Mohamed characterising the Clausura 2026 schedule as "a locura. "
Other notes from the weekend
Coverage of the weekend also noted a 1-1 draw between Xolos and Pumas in which Jackson Porozo and Pedro Vite faced off, and a squad update that Billy Arce has appeared on the matchday list at the Kraken. Mazatlán now has little recovery time: the team will visit Atlético de San Luis at the Estadio Libertad Financiera on Tuesday night, seeking a second victory in the campaign.
