Necaxa rallies past New York City FC with goals from Valencia and Torres at Sports Illustrated Stadium

Necaxa came from behind at Sports Illustrated Stadium to beat New York City FC 2-1, in a match where the Mexican side managed to flip an early deficit thanks to two second-half goals. The home side had gone ahead on an own goal, but the visitors' response, led by Juan Valencia and Juan Torres, ended up settling the result.

A messy goal opens the scoring

The first half was even, with more chances for the home side, though neither team managed to connect cleanly. Malachi Jones rattled the post with a header in the 14th minute, and Andres Perea and Luighi also had attempts that missed the target. The scoring opened in the 36th minute, when the ball ended up in the back of the net after deflecting off Necaxa defender Agustin Oliveros, making it 1-0 for New York City FC heading into the break.

The second half completely changed the complexion of the match. Almost as soon as it started, Necaxa evened things up and the equalizer came in the 57th minute: Juan Valencia finished with his right foot from the center of the box after an assist from Owen Gonzalez. The goal was confirmed after a VAR review, which upheld the call in the 62nd minute. With the score level, the Mexican side took control of the game and found the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute, when Juan Torres, also of Necaxa, finished with his right foot from the center of the box to make it 1-2, a scoreline that held up despite the home side's late substitutions in search of an equalizer.

What the numbers say

New York City FC dominated possession but struggled to turn that control into real danger on the opposing goal. Necaxa, with less of the ball, was sharper and more clinical in the final third.

The gap between total shots and shots on target tells the story: Necaxa needed fewer attempts to produce four shots on frame, while the home side, despite firing nine times, tested the opposing goalkeeper directly just once. According to EnPelotas.com's own xG estimate based on the match's shots, New York City FC generated 1.197 expected goals to Necaxa's 1.098, figures that point to an even contest in terms of chance creation, though efficiency ultimately tipped the scale toward the visitors.

Where things stand in the standings

The result leaves New York City FC with just one win in its first three group games, sitting on three points with a neutral goal difference. The loss keeps the club in the lower half of its group table, though it is still early enough in the tournament that no firm conclusions can be drawn about the team's level, even if the defeat to Necaxa does nothing to reverse the recent trend.

Takeaways from the match

Beyond the final score, the game will be remembered for Necaxa's response after a rocky start. The own goal that put the home side ahead ended up being little more than a passing setback for the Mexican side, which answered with two goals from inside the box in the second half and walked away with a win that halts any negative momentum that may have been building. For New York City FC, on the other hand, the feeling is one of a missed opportunity: the team controlled possession but could not turn that dominance into goals of its own, nor hold onto the lead it had gotten by fortunate means.