Chivas entered Jornada 5 of the Apertura 2026 with momentum, but Santiago Sandoval could not turn one of its best early chances into a clean finish against Tijuana.
During the match at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Sandoval failed to fully control a filtered pass inside the penalty area. It was the kind of moment that can change the rhythm of a live Liga MX match, especially in a game where Chivas was trying to extend a three-match unbeaten run.
How the teams arrived
Before this match, Chivas had gone three matches without losing, with two victories and one draw. That run helped move the team into third place in the table after a rocky start to the Apertura 2026, when it lost on the first matchday.
Tijuana came in with a different kind of confidence. The visitors were unbeaten through four games, with three victories and one draw, which made this one of Jornada 5’s more interesting early-season tests.
Early chances matter in tight games
Chivas did not have to wait long for a breakthrough elsewhere on the field. At 23 minutes, Ricardo Marín scored a header to give the home side a 1-0 lead. But Sandoval’s missed touch in the area was still notable because it showed how narrow the margin was in a match between two teams arriving in good form.
For Chivas, the sequence underlined a simple truth: against an unbeaten opponent like Tijuana, the chances that appear in the box can carry extra weight. Sandoval found the space, but not the full control needed to turn that filtered pass into a clearer scoring opportunity.
The bigger picture is that Chivas and Tijuana entered this game with very different recent trajectories, but both were producing enough positive results to make Jornada 5 feel important. That is why a single play from Santiago Sandoval stood out. In a tight Liga MX match, missed chances are often remembered just as much as goals.
Christian Karembeu’s comments about Armando González were part of the broader match conversation, but the key Sandoval moment was straightforward: he had a promising chance in the area and did not fully bring it under control.
