Stalemate in Oaxaca: Alebrijes and La Paz Share Spoils in Hard-Fought Draw

The Estadio Tecnológico de Oaxaca witnessed a tale of two halves that ultimately yielded no winner, as Alebrijes de Oaxaca and CA La Paz battled to a 1-1 draw on Friday night in Liga de Expansión MX action. For the home side, mired in 13th place with just seven points from nine matches, it represented a rare point snatched from the jaws of mediocrity. For La Paz, sitting comfortably in seventh with 12 points, it felt like two points dropped.

The match unfolded with the frenetic energy typical of second-division Mexican soccer, where desperation and ambition collide. La Paz, riding a wave of offensive confidence after averaging two goals per game in recent form, struck first in the 25th minute. The visitors' attacking prowess—they'd scored three or more goals in four of their last five matches—proved potent once again as they capitalized on Oaxaca's porous defense, which had conceded 19 goals in their opening eight fixtures.

Yet Alebrijes, fighting for survival in the lower reaches of the table, refused to wilt. Just 13 minutes after falling behind, the home side found an equalizer in the 38th minute. The goal provided a lifeline for a team that had won only twice all season, and the timing proved crucial, allowing them to enter halftime on equal footing rather than trailing.

The match's physical nature revealed itself through the referee's notebook. Yellow cards were distributed to Y. Del Aguila in the fourth minute and again in the 25th minute for Oaxaca, while E. Lopez saw yellow in the 10th minute and S. Meza in the 38th. The disciplinary issues forced Alebrijes manager to make a tactical substitution, replacing Del Aguila with D. Hernandez in the 39th minute after the defender's second booking.

Both teams emerged from the break searching for a winner, but defensive organization superseded offensive creativity in the second half. Oaxaca made further adjustments, bringing on O. Millan for U. Jaimes in the 63rd minute and A. Bass for L. Gutierrez a minute later. La Paz countered with their own change, introducing J. Cruz for J. Bustos in the 67th minute. The substitutions failed to break the deadlock, though, as both defenses held firm through the final whistle.

The result carries different implications for each club. For Alebrijes, the draw extends their winless home record but represents a building block after recent victories over Tapatío and Dorados had offered glimpses of hope. The point moves them to eight from 10 matches, yet they remain dangerously close to the relegation conversation. Their defensive vulnerabilities—conceding an average of 2.1 goals per game—continue to undermine any offensive progress.

La Paz's perspective is considerably more complex. The visitors entered Friday's match having lost just once in their previous five outings, a 4-2 defeat to league-leading Cancún that represented their only recent blemish. Before that, they'd strung together three consecutive victories, outscoring opponents 9-3 during that stretch. The attacking statistics remain impressive—90 percent of their matches feature La Paz finding the net—but Friday's draw highlighted a troubling trend: defensive fragility. With 2.2 goals conceded per game and clean sheets in just 10 percent of their matches, La Paz possesses the firepower to compete for promotion but lacks the defensive foundation to sustain a genuine challenge.

The draw leaves La Paz five points behind the promotion places with significant ground to make up. Their upcoming schedule will determine whether Friday's result represents a minor setback or the beginning of a troubling slide. For Alebrijes, every point matters in their battle to avoid the bottom of the table. They'll need to tighten defensively while maintaining the modest offensive production that's kept them competitive in recent weeks.

As both teams look ahead, the calculus is clear: Alebrijes must transform draws into wins to escape the relegation conversation, while La Paz needs to rediscover their defensive discipline if they hope to mount a serious promotion push. Friday's stalemate satisfied neither objective, leaving both clubs searching for answers as the Apertura campaign reaches its crucial middle stage.