Salomón Rondón stands alone atop the Golden Boot race after penalty strike against Rayados

A penalty converted with ice in his veins was all Salomón Rondón needed to move into sole possession of first place. The Venezuelan scored Pachuca's only goal in Matchday 6, and with that strike he reached six goals on the season, pulling ahead of Lucas Ocampos in the race for the Apertura 2026 Golden Boot. The irony is that the Argentine did not even need to miss on the field to lose his lead. He simply was not called upon for the match against Rayados.

The lead changed hands without Ocampos touching the ball

Matías Almeyda opted to rest several starters, Ocampos among them, with an eye on the busy stretch of games ahead with the Leagues Cup on the horizon. So the Rayados forward watched the match from the sidelines, and his personal tally stayed frozen at five goals. It was a pause that, for now, cost him the top spot he had held for much of the tournament. Rondón, with all the experience built up over years playing in European leagues and with the Venezuelan national team, made no mistake from the penalty spot and handed Los Tuzos a narrow win. At 36 years old, the striker keeps proving that a scorer's instinct does not expire, and in doing so he has become the offensive point man for a Pachuca side that needs its veteran talent to keep up the pace.

Mora and Alvarado push from the podium

Behind the two leaders, the standings shifted thanks to names that excite fans for opposite reasons: age. Gilberto Mora, the Liga MX sensation, scored a penalty-kick brace against Pumas to reach four goals, putting himself squarely in the mix despite his young age. Right there alongside him is Roberto Alvarado, also on four goals. "Piojo" is without question the most consistent attacking player at Chivas, and he proved it again in Matchday 6: just three minutes into the match he caught Pachuca's defense off guard to score the goal that gave his team a 1-1 draw. Also on four goals are Santiago Homenchenko of Querétaro, who scored twice, once from the penalty spot and again in the 70th minute, in Los Gallos Blancos' win, and Julián Simón Carranza of Necaxa, who missed Matchday 4 due to a red card suspension and has gone without a goal over the last two matchdays, though he remains closely marked by opposing defenses. Further down, tied on three goals apiece, are Henry Martín, Ricardo Marín, Ali Ávila and Daniel Arcilla, rounding out a tightly packed top 10 heading into Matchday 7. Will Rondón hold onto the lead once Ocampos returns to the starting lineup? The answer will start to take shape next matchday, when Rayados get their scorer back and the rest of the contenders look to close the gap.