Henry Martin's Hat Trick Rallies America Past Necaxa Twice for a 4-2 Win

Four penalties called, three of them awarded to America, and a seven-goal thriller: Estadio Victoria turned into a rollercoaster of emotions that ended with Club America taking all three points in a 4-2 win over Necaxa, in a Liga MX match that was decided punch for punch on the scoreboard over the first 55 minutes.

The home side struck first. In the 36th minute, Owen Gonzalez finished with his right foot from the center of the box after an assist from Julian Carranza, and Estadio Victoria erupted. The joy lasted barely two minutes: Henry Martin equalized with a header off a corner kick in the 38th, the first of his three goals on the afternoon. Before the first half wrapped up, Necaxa went back in front: Cristian Borja committed a handball penalty inside the box, and Carranza himself, this time on the finishing end, made it 2-1 in the 42nd minute with a low shot into the left corner.

The second half kicked off with the score still open and America needing to turn things around, and turn it around it did, in just 21 minutes of brutal intensity. First, after a brief VAR review in the 51st minute that wiped out a possible penalty for the visitors, Henry Martin converted from the spot in the 54th to make it 2-2. A minute later, Miguel Borja put the Eagles ahead for the first time with a left-footed shot from the center of the box: 2-3. The third penalty of the afternoon, committed by Pedro Pedraza inside the box, was converted once again by Henry Martin in the 74th minute, this time into the top corner, sealing the final 2-4 and completing his hat trick.

The numbers behind the match

Necaxa had more possession and completed more passes, but America was sharper in the final third, with more shots and more shots on target.

The foul count, 16 to 6, helps explain why Necaxa ended up giving away so many penalties: its defensive persistence inside the box cost the team three times over. In terms of danger generated, our own xG estimate, calculated from the match's shots, has America at 4.09 expected goals against Necaxa's 3.81, a fairly even split that confirms the home side also had enough to cause problems, though not enough to hold onto either of its two leads.

What the preview said versus what happened

Before the match, our projection gave America a 53% chance of winning, with a 26% chance of a draw and just 21% for a Necaxa victory, and it forecast an expected goals line of 1.76 for the Eagles against 1.05 for the home side. America's edge ultimately bore out in the final score, though the match was far more even and chaotic than those numbers suggested: Necaxa found itself ahead on two separate occasions before America flipped the result in the second half.

What the result means

With this win, America climbs to 20 points from 9 matches played and holds onto second place in the tournament, level on points with leader Toluca. Necaxa, meanwhile, remains stuck on 8 points after 10 matches, sitting 17th in the table, with a goal difference that remains the worst in the competition. The afternoon at Estadio Victoria will be remembered above all for Henry Martin's hat trick and for a display of counterattacks and penalties that ultimately tipped a scale that, through the first 55 minutes, had refused to settle in either direction.