Toluca rallies, then shares points with Tijuana in 2-2 draw

Four goals produce a split result

Toluca and Tijuana played to a 2-2 draw Wednesday night in a Liga MX Apertura 2026 Jornada 13 match at Estadio Nemesio Diez. The hosts came from behind to lead in the second half, but Tijuana answered before the final whistle. The official Club Tijuana schedule records the fixture as finished at 2-2, a result also confirmed by FOX Sports and ESPN’s match pages. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Tijuana struck first in the 38th minute, when Elias Manoel scored off an assist from Jonathan Padilla, according to FOX Sports’ play-by-play. Toluca turned the match after the break: Federico Viñas tied it in the 61st minute, with Helinho providing the assist, and Helinho scored four minutes later to make it 2-1. Nicolás Castro assisted on that goal. The two quick scores briefly put the home side in position to take all three points. ^{[2] [3]}

Padilla’s late response secures a point

Padilla brought Tijuana level in the 75th minute, six minutes after Toluca’s go-ahead goal. The visitors’ comeback preserved the draw and denied Toluca a home win despite the hosts’ second-half turnaround. The four-goal sequence left the sides with a point apiece; no winner was recorded in the official team schedule or independent match accounts. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Toluca pressed for a late winner. FOX Sports’ play-by-play recorded a Helinho corner in the 90th minute and shots by Viñas and Franco Romero in stoppage time, including a Viñas effort on target at 90+4. Neither side added another goal, leaving the 2-2 score intact at the end of a match in which both teams had chances to pull ahead. ^[2]

The result kept Toluca in third place with 22 points, while Tijuana stood ninth with 17, SDP Noticias reported after the match. Xolos’ official standings also listed Tijuana on 17 points in ninth and Toluca on 22 in third after the fixture. The point maintained Toluca’s position among the league’s leading teams, while Tijuana remained just outside the top eight places, with the remaining Apertura schedule still to play. ^{[1] [4]}

Next matches

Toluca’s next league match is away to León on Oct. 24, and Tijuana is scheduled to host Santos Laguna on Oct. 25. The Xolos calendar lists the Santos fixture at Estadio Caliente, while SDP Noticias reported the same upcoming match dates. Both clubs now turn to those games after a midweek draw that included two lead changes in the second half. ^{[1] [4]}

The accompanying image is a file photograph from an earlier Toluca-Tijuana meeting at the same stadium, not an image from Wednesday’s 2-2 game. AS México identifies the scene as Tijuana goalkeeper Antonio Rodríguez making a save on Feb. 13, 2026, and credits the image to Reuters photographer Eloisa Sanchez. ^[5]