Pachuca loses second straight in Leagues Cup, faces elimination

Pachuca faces a precarious position in the Leagues Cup after succumbing to a 1-2 defeat against Columbus Crew, marking their second consecutive loss in the tournament. The Mexican side, which featured Paraguayan forward Adrián Alcaraz until the 66th minute, now stands on the brink of elimination.

The Crew established a commanding lead in the first half. Spanish player Brais Méndez opened the scoring in the 19th minute with an impressive bicycle kick, his second consecutive goal in the competition. Shortly before halftime, Hungarian Daniel Gazdag doubled the lead, delivering a significant psychological blow just moments after Venezuelan Salomón Rondón had a goal disallowed.

In the second half, Pachuca showed signs of life when Moroccan Oussama Idrissi pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute, briefly reigniting hopes of a comeback. However, these aspirations were quickly dashed.

Just two minutes after Pachuca's goal, Argentine defender Sergio Damián Barreto received a second yellow card, reducing Pachuca to ten men and effectively ending their chances of overturning the deficit.