Monterrey vs Chivas is trending because Chivas beat Rayados 1-0 at the Estadio BBVA on Saturday, 24 October 2026, in Jornada 14 of the Liga MX Apertura 2026, and the match ended with a disallowed equalizer. The result lifted Chivas to 26 points and second place, one point behind leader América, according to si.com. Monterrey stayed seventh with 20 points, as reported by si.com. The combination of a narrow scoreline, late VAR drama and a reunion storyline made the game one of the most shared topics of the weekend.
The decisive goal came from Roberto Alvarado, who scored the only goal of the match for Guadalajara, according to infobae.com. The opportunity followed a ninth-minute error by Monterrey's Víctor Guzmán, as reported by infobae.com. Because the goal arrived so early, the remaining 80 minutes were played with Chivas protecting a lead and Monterrey chasing an equalizer. That shape produced the tension that later spilled into stoppage time.
Monterrey had a chance to level from the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Raúl Rangel saved Lucas Ocampos' kick, according to infobae.com. A saved penalty is one of the clearest turning points a match can offer, because it denies the trailing team its most direct route back into the game. Had Ocampos converted, the late disallowed goal would have mattered differently. The save is one of the key moments cited in the match reports.
Diego Rossi appeared to have equalized for Monterrey in the closing moments, but the video assistant referee, or VAR, disallowed the goal for a handball, according to infobae.com and en.as.com. VAR is the video review system that lets officials re-examine goals, penalties and red cards. Because the decision erased a goal in the final play, it became the most widely shared moment of the night. The handball ruling, not the scoreline alone, is what drove much of the online reaction.
Orbelín Pineda was sent off at 90+1, according to infobae.com. Monterrey coach Matías Almeyda was also dismissed after the final whistle, as reported in the transcript's match summary. Red cards at the very end of a match change what comes next, because suspensions affect the following fixtures. Together with the VAR call, the dismissals turned a tight game into a chaotic finish.
Chivas moved to second place with 26 points, one point behind leader América, according to si.com. Toluca dropped to third with 23 points, and Monterrey stayed seventh with 20, as reported by si.com. The win also extended Chivas' unbeaten run to four matches, according to infobae.com. For Monterrey, the defeat ended a three-match unbeaten run noted in the transcript's summary.
The match trended largely because it was Matías Almeyda's first meeting against Chivas since he left the club, according to informador.mx. That outlet framed the game as a reunion nearly 10 years after Almeyda led Guadalajara to the Clausura 2017 title. His spell at Chivas also included a Concacaf Champions Cup, two Copa MX titles and a Supercopa MX, as listed by informador.mx. A coach facing his former club adds an emotional layer that a plain league fixture would not have.
When a coach returns to a club he once led to trophies, fans on both sides compare the past with the present. At Chivas, Almeyda is associated with the Clausura 2017 title and the Concacaf Champions Cup named by informador.mx. At Monterrey, he is the current coach trying to close the gap on the top places. The reunion framing gave neutral viewers a reason to watch beyond the standings.
A handball disallowed for a handball means the referee judged that the ball struck an attacker's arm or hand in the buildup or at the finish, and VAR recommended a review. The transcript and research do not describe the exact arm position or the referee's reasoning, so the specific detail of the incident remains unclear. What is documented is the outcome: Rossi's goal was overturned for handball, per infobae.com. That single decision decided whether Monterrey took a point or none.
The transcript notes that sources disagree slightly on Chivas' tally, with some listing 23 points instead of 26. They also differ on the exact minute of Alvarado's goal, giving the 7th, 8th, 9th or 11th minute. This is common in football reporting, where live blogs, wire copy and match reports are updated at different times. When reading about this match, it is safer to treat the final score and the red cards as settled and the minute-by-minute details as approximate.
The match reports dated 24 and 25 October 2026 are the most recent sources in the research block, and they agree on the 1-0 scoreline, the goalscorer and the VAR decision. One preview source listed Fernando Gago as Chivas coach and Martín Demichelis at Monterrey, which conflicts with reports identifying Almeyda as Monterrey's coach, according to the transcript's note. Because a preview is written before the match and the match reports after it, the later reports are the better guide for what actually happened. This is a case where publication timing matters more than the outlet's reputation.
Jornada is the Spanish term for a matchday or round in the Liga MX calendar, so Jornada 14 is the 14th round of the Apertura 2026 tournament. The Apertura is the opening half of the Mexican league season, and points accumulated in it decide the playoff positions. By this stage of the tournament, the table starts to show which teams are genuine title contenders. That is why a single result in Jornada 14 can shift the top of the standings.
The match was played at the Estadio BBVA, Monterrey's home ground. Playing away at that stadium is generally considered a difficult fixture, which makes a 1-0 win there a notable result for Chivas. The transcript does not give attendance figures or other stadium details, so those are left out here. What matters for the story is that Chivas took three points from a direct rival's home.
Chivas sit one point behind América with 26 points, according to si.com. Toluca are third with 23, two points behind Chivas. That makes the top three separated by just three points in the research block's figures. With several rounds still to play, the difference between first and third is small enough that any dropped points could reorder the table.
Monterrey stayed seventh with 20 points, according to si.com, and their three-match unbeaten run ended, as noted in the transcript. Seventh place in the Liga MX table is typically around the playoff cutoff, though the exact qualification rules depend on the tournament format and are not specified in the sources here. The loss therefore cost Monterrey both momentum and the chance to close on the top group. Their next fixture is the first test of how quickly they recover.
Monterrey host Xolos and Chivas host Atlante next Saturday, according to ESPN as cited in the transcript. These fixtures matter because suspensions from the red cards could affect selection, although the sources do not confirm who will be unavailable. For Chivas, the aim is to keep pace with América at the top. For Monterrey, the aim is to stop a losing run before it grows.
A match trends when a single moment is easy to clip and share, and a disallowed goal in the 97th minute fits that description. Trending status reflects attention, not importance, so it is worth checking the underlying reports before drawing conclusions. In this case, the scoreline, the table positions and the VAR decision are consistent across the match reports cited. The disagreements lie in small details such as the goal minute and the points total.
The trophies listed by informador.mx for Almeyda's Chivas spell are the Clausura 2017 league title, a Concacaf Champions Cup, two Copa MX titles and a Supercopa MX. The Concacaf Champions Cup is the regional club competition for North and Central America and the Caribbean. That record explains why his return was treated as a significant event rather than a routine coaching change. It also raises expectations whenever his teams face Chivas.
The points totals show Chivas near the top and Monterrey in mid-table, but a single match result says little about the rest of the season. The research block does not include expected goals, possession figures or shot counts, so no statistical analysis of performance is possible here. What can be said is that Chivas won away, kept a clean sheet and survived a late scare. Those are facts from the match reports, not a prediction of what follows.
The fixture trended for three connected reasons: a tight 1-0 result, a VAR decision that erased a stoppage-time equalizer, and the return of Almeyda to face his former club. The table consequence is that Chivas sit second on 26 points, one behind América, while Monterrey remain seventh on 20, per si.com. Anyone following the story should rely on the 24 and 25 October 2026 match reports and treat minor discrepancies in timing and points as reporting differences rather than contradictions. The next round will show whether this result was a turning point or a single dramatic night.
