Isaías Violante saves América from embarrassment against Querétaro

Guillermo Almada began his tenure as América's coach with a narrow 1-0 victory over Querétaro in the opening match of the Apertura 2026 Liga MX season. Despite the win, the performance highlighted the challenges América faced in overcoming a determined Querétaro side.

The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Isaías Violante found the back of the net, sending the predominantly América-supporting crowd at Estadio Corregidora into a frenzy. This late goal salvaged a win for Almada's team, though the overall complexity of the match left a bittersweet taste.

Throughout the game, both teams had balanced opportunities. Querétaro created several clear chances that tested América's central defenders, Ramón Juárez and Miguel Vázquez, who showed some initial coordination issues but improved as the match progressed.

América had a chance to take the lead earlier when Henry Martín stepped up to take a penalty in the 70th minute after a handball by Diego Reyes. However, Querétaro's goalkeeper Allison guessed correctly and saved Martín's shot, keeping the score level until Violante's late heroics.