Three Penalties and a Salles-Lamonge Brace Give Atletico San Luis a Nail-Biting 3-2 Win Over Pumas

Three penalties, a VAR crew that worked overtime, and a heart-stopping finish at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario. Atletico San Luis walked away with all three points against Pumas UNAM by a score of 3-2, in a match that was decided, quite literally, from the penalty spot.

The script started uphill for the home side. Just past the quarter-hour mark, Angel Azuaje brought down Felipe Mora inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot after a VAR review. Sebastien Salles-Lamonge made no mistake in the 22nd minute, putting Atletico San Luis up 1-0. Pumas UNAM pushed for the equalizer, with chances from Cesar Huerta and Luciano Herrera, but went into the break trailing on the scoreboard.

The second half opened with a whirlwind of three goals in barely six minutes. Rodrigo Lopez leveled things in the 51st minute with a sharp strike from outside the box that found the top corner for a 1-1 score, but the joy lasted only three minutes: David Rodriguez, set up by Salles-Lamonge, restored Atletico San Luis's lead with a shot from outside the area to make it 1-2.

The second VAR blow

Pumas UNAM tried to respond, but the match kept turning on the video review. In the 75th minute, Luciano Herrera fouled Rafa Llorente inside the box, and after the review was announced in the 76th minute, Salles-Lamonge converted his second penalty of the night in the 78th minute to make it 1-3. With the result all but sealed, there was still one more twist: in the 86th minute, Leonardo Flores brought down Nathan Silva inside the area, and VAR confirmed another penalty, this time for the home side. Juninho converted it in the 89th minute for the final 2-3, a goal that offered some consolation but wasn't enough for Pumas UNAM to salvage anything from the match.

What the numbers say

Pumas UNAM controlled possession and generated more volume of play, but Atletico San Luis was more clinical in the final third.

In the xG calculated after the fact from the match's shots, Atletico San Luis generated 2.721 against Pumas UNAM's 1.429, a gap that backs up the visitors' efficiency, especially with two penalties converted by Salles-Lamonge.

The result also runs counter to what we had projected beforehand: our model gave Pumas UNAM a 54% chance of winning, against just 22% for Atletico San Luis, with a 24% chance of a draw. The expected goals figures published before kickoff pointed to 1.96 for the home side and 1.21 for the visitors, a forecast the scoreboard ended up flipping entirely.

The standings and what's next

Both teams arrived level in the standings, with 12 points each after ten matches played, though Atletico San Luis carried a more negative goal difference. After this result, Pumas UNAM is left with a record of three wins, three draws and four losses in the tournament, while Atletico San Luis keeps the same number of matches played but adds another win that keeps it close to the middle of the table.

What this match leaves behind, beyond the result, is a night defined by officiating and VAR decisions: three penalties, two reviews that changed the course of the scoreline, and a Salles-Lamonge who settled from the penalty spot what the run of play couldn't quite decide. Pumas UNAM is left with the feeling of having rowed against the current in its own building, while Atletico San Luis walks away with a win that looked unlikely beforehand.