Puebla and Atlante Draw 1-1 at the Cuauhtemoc in Match Marked by Overturned Penalty

Estadio Cuauhtemoc left both sides wanting more, though at this stage of the tournament every point counts. Puebla and Atlante played to a 1-1 draw in a Liga MX match that had a bit of everything except a winner, with Atlante taking the lead before halftime and Puebla answering right at the start of the second half to level things up.

The first half belonged to Atlante, at least in terms of clear chances. Martin Sarrafiore and Jhojan Julio tested Puebla early without success, and Eugenio Pizzuto rattled the crossbar in the 32nd minute. But the goal came from another angle: in the 40th minute, Walter Portales connected on a left-footed strike from the center of the box, low and inside the post, off an assist from Jhojan Julio, making it 0-1 as the visitors headed into the break in front.

Puebla wasted no time responding. Just seven minutes into the second half, in the 52nd minute, Mathias Tomas equalized with a left-footed shot from outside the box that curled into the top left corner, assisted by Ignacio Maestro Puch. It was a brilliant goal that leveled the match and lit up the Cuauhtemoc.

The next stretch brought a moment for review: in the 62nd minute, VAR determined there was no penalty for Puebla, a call that halted the home side's momentum right when it looked poised for more. From there the match opened up. Atlante kept pushing through Christian Bermudez, Martin Sarrafiore and Armando Escobar, while Puebla looked to Heriberto Jurado, who headed narrowly wide of the post in the 88th minute, and Luifer Hernandez, already in stoppage time. Neither side found the go ahead goal and the score stayed level.

What the Numbers Say

Puebla controlled more of the ball and had more touches, but Atlante was the sharper team near the opposing box. The gap in shots and clear chances tells part of the story of why the result could have gone either way.

The xG generated in the match, an in-house estimate based on shot location, favors Atlante with 1.851 compared to Puebla's 0.865, matching the greater offensive volume the visitors showed over the 90 minutes, especially in the second half, when they created several chances that didn't end up in the net.

Before the match we had projected a draw at 31%, with 37% for a Puebla win and 32% for Atlante, along with combined expected goals of 2.46. The final result matched the least likely of the three scenarios on paper, though it wasn't far off from the numbers we had for the total goals in the match.

Where They Stand in the Table

In the Liga MX standings, Puebla sits in 5th place with 14 points from 9 matches played (4 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses), while Atlante is in 15th place with 8 points also from 9 appearances (1 win, 5 draws and 3 losses). The gap between the two sides is 6 points, something this Sunday's draw does not decisively change for either team.

The result leaves Atlante with a pattern that is starting to define its season: picking up single points without being able to close out matches, despite creating danger. For Puebla, the draw prevents a possible loss thanks to the immediate response after Portales' goal, though the disallowed penalty will remain the talking point of the afternoon at the Cuauhtemoc.