Toluca's impressive winning streak came to a halt with a 2-3 home defeat to Santos Laguna at the Estadio Nemesio Díez on Sunday. A back-and-forth encounter was decided in the dying minutes by a VAR-overturned goal and a red card, leaving the home supporters frustrated.

Pablo Guede's side, arriving with four consecutive victories, took the lead through a Federico Viñas header in the 25th minute, assisted by Alexis Vega. The same Vega was key again just before halftime, setting up Paulinho for a close-range finish to make it 2-0. However, Santos pulled one back in first-half stoppage time through a strike from Ezequiel Bullaude.

The visitors' comeback

The second half maintained its intensity, with Toluca pushing for a third goal and Santos keeper Carlos Acevedo standing tall. He made saves from Jesús Angulo, Diego Barbosa, and Paulinho to keep his team in the game. That resilience was rewarded late on. With six minutes remaining, Kevin Palacios leveled the score with a powerful shot from outside the box. The tension escalated when VAR ruled out an Eduardo Aguirre goal for handball, but minutes later, Everardo López was shown a straight red card for a strong challenge, a decision reviewed and upheld by the video assistant.

Down to ten men, Toluca cracked in the 95th minute. Substitute Fran Villalba completed the comeback with a left-footed strike from distance, sealing all three points for the visitors from Torreón. The defeat leaves the Red Devils in second place in Liga MX with 13 points, three behind leaders Club America.

The team must now regroup quickly for a demanding schedule. Their next fixture is an away trip to tenth-placed Cruz Azul on Saturday, September 26. Travel details and the probable lineup are available in our fixtures section. Despite the setback, the season's balance remains positive, with 12 goals scored and only four conceded after six matchdays. Manager Guede will have to reorganize his defense for the clash against the Cementeros, especially with López suspended. The squad, which has shown solid overall performance, will aim to get back to winning ways at the Azteca.

Read the full report at en.as.com