Pumas UNAM beats Atlante 2-1 behind Juninho brace in Liga MX

Keylor Navas turned back the clock at Banorte Stadium on Thursday night, producing a string of reflex saves that kept Pumas UNAM alive long enough for Juninho to secure a 2-1 victory over Atlante in Round 12 of the Liga MX Apertura 2026.

The result snaps a winless streak stretching beyond a month for Pumas, vaulting them temporarily into ninth place in the standings and keeping their playoff hopes intact. For a franchise that has struggled to find consistency since its return to Mexico’s top flight, the three points arrived with significant drama, punctuated by a first-half red card for Atlante manager Miguel Herrera after he was dismissed for protesting an officiating decision.

Juninho delivered both goals for the visitors. His first came off a volley from close range, finishing a sequence started by a Robert Morales header. Atlante responded almost immediately when Luis Calzadilla found space inside the penalty area and beat Navas with a right-footed strike to level the score before halftime. The equalizer exposed recurring structural issues for Pumas, who controlled possession but repeatedly left gaps during defensive transitions — vulnerabilities Atlante exploited through quick combinations involving Jhojan Julio and Eugenio Pizzuto.

Navas, the veteran Costa Rican goalkeeper who joined Pumas as a high-profile marquee signing, proved decisive in neutralizing those threats. He denied Julio twice in the opening 45 minutes and later stopped a point-blank effort from Pizzuto, preventing Atlante from capitalizing on territorial advantages despite playing with numerical parity for most of the match. Herrera’s ejection further disrupted Atlante’s tactical rhythm, forcing assistant coaches to manage adjustments from the technical area for the remainder of the contest.

The winning goal materialized in the second half following a rapid counterattack orchestrated by Adalberto Carrasquilla. The Panamanian midfielder drove forward and threaded a pass to Juninho, whose left-footed finish past Atlante goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez restored the lead. Carrasquilla’s influence marked a continuation of his growing role in the Pumas attack, building on his performance during last Sunday’s 3-3 draw against Cruz Azul, where the team first showed signs of offensive revitalization after weeks of stagnation.

Head coach Guillermo Almada made several calculated substitutions to protect the lead, replacing goalscorer Juninho with Alvaro Angulo and swapping Alan Medina — starting in place of the suspended Cesar Huerta — for Victor Arteaga. Uriel Antuna also exited late for Santiago Lopez as Pumas shifted to a deeper defensive block. Atlante introduced Christian Bermudez, Diogo Bagui, Joaquin Moxica, and Jairon Charcopa in search of an equalizer, but Ruben Duarte nearly conceded an own goal that required yet another intervention from Navas to keep the scoreline intact.

Liga MX rules mandate that visiting teams play designated home matches at alternative venues when stadium infrastructure or scheduling conflicts arise, which is why this Mexico City derby took place at Banorte Stadium rather than Pumas’ traditional Estadio Olimpico Universitario. The neutral-site dynamic removed typical home-field crowd pressure, resulting in an unusually open, end-to-end match between two local rivals.

Both clubs now face grueling travel schedules heading north. Pumas will visit Santos Laguna in Torreon on Wednesday, testing their newly stabilized attack against a side that has quietly improved its defensive metrics over the past month. Atlante travels further to Ciudad Juarez for a Tuesday fixture against FC Juarez, marking the first-ever top-flight meeting between the two franchises since Atlante earned promotion back to Liga MX.