Tijuana - Pumas: Juninho rescues 1-1 draw to extend Pumas' unbeaten run

Pumas held on for a 1-1 result in tijuana - pumas at Estadio Caliente after Juninho converted a rebound to level late in the first half. The draw prolongs Pumas’ undefeated run to eight matches and shapes the immediate standings and fixture pressure on both clubs.

Tijuana - Pumas at Estadio Caliente

The match produced early momentum swings. Ramiro Árciga opened the scoring for the home side with a powerful shot from the edge of the area that took a deflection and found the net in the 40th minute, leaving José Antonio Rodríguez beaten despite the efforts of his defense. In stoppage time of the first half — the 44th minute — Juninho capitalized on a rebound at the post to make his fourth goal of the campaign and level the game.

Pedro Vite forced a near turnaround for the visitors in the opening minutes of the second half when a long-range attempt clipped the crossbar and bounced close to the line, but it did not cross. Goalkeeping interventions and quick transitions marked an open, back-and-forth encounter at the Mictlán that ultimately ended 1-1.

Lineups: José Antonio Rodríguez and Keylor Navas

The teams deployed the following starting XIs in Tijuana:

• Tijuana: José Antonio Rodríguez, Rafael Fernández, Unai Bilbao, Jackson Porozo, Jesús Vega, Iván Tona, Kevin Castañeda, Ramiro Árciga, Ignacio Rivero, Domingo Blanco, Mourad Daoudi.
• Pumas: Keylor Navas, Rodrigo López, Nathan Silva, Ángel Azuaje, Álvaro Angulo, Pedro Vite, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Alan Medina, Jordan Carrillo, Juninho, Robert Morales.

Coach Efraín Juárez sent out an offensive XI for the visitors, a decision that put pressure on José Antonio Rodríguez in multiple phases of the match.

Standings and upcoming matches: Pumas, Toluca and Atlas

The draw leaves Pumas unbeaten in eight consecutive Clausura 2026 rounds and sitting provisionally in second place with 16 points, trailing Chivas, which has 18. Pumas and Toluca are the only teams in the competition that have yet to suffer a defeat. The timing matters because Pumas will return to Ciudad Universitaria to host Toluca on Tuesday, March 3 at 21: 10 Central — a match in which the visitors will aim to maintain the club’s positive run.

Tijuana’s result continued a longer run without a win: six matches without victory (five draws and one loss), a sequence that has dropped them to 10th place with nine units. The club will travel to face Atlas at Estadio Jalisco on Wednesday, March 4 at 21: 00 Central as it seeks to break the slump.

What makes this notable is Pumas have preserved their streak despite the complex field conditions in Tijuana and the sustained pressure from the home side in the first half. The unbeaten line also places Pumas three matches away from equaling an 11-match start from the Clausura 2011 (seven wins and four draws) and recalls a 10-match unbeaten run in Apertura 2020 that culminated in a finals appearance.

Tijuana's Gil Mora absence

Tijuana continues to cope with the absence of young Mexican attacker Gil Mora, who typically helps open attacking channels for the Xolos. A muscular injury has sidelined him for a significant portion of the tournament, a factor the club describes as an ongoing headache for its offensive plans.

Santos Laguna, Mazatlán, Ciudad Juárez and a technical note

Elsewhere in the Liga MX slate, Santos Laguna and Querétaro finished tied 2-2. Mateo Coronel converted at 13 minutes and Santiago Homenchenko added a penalty at 30 for Querétaro; Lucas Di Yorio scored a penalty at 23 and Carlos Gruezo struck at 45+6 for Santos. The draw left Santos as the only club without a victory, with two points and at the bottom of the table; Querétaro sits 15th with six points.

Mazatlán defeated Pachuca 1-0 on a Dudu Teodora goal in the second minute of stoppage before halftime. The result extended Mazatlán’s sequence to three matches without defeat (two wins and a draw) and moved them to 14th with seven points; Pachuca remains 5th with 14 points.

Ciudad Juárez ended a five-match winless run by beating Atlas 3-1, moving the Bravos to 13th with seven points while Atlas slipped to 6th with 13.

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For Pumas, the 1-1 result in tijuana - pumas preserves momentum and sets a demanding week with a home fixture against a Toluca side that also remains unbeaten. For Tijuana, the draw extends the search for a win amid injury setbacks and a stretch of draws that have stalled their climb up the table.