Pumas lost Nathan Silva inside two minutes, and Faitelson asks why VAR never looked

By the Data Desk · Published 22 OCT 06:45

First reported by Excélsior · 22 OCT 04:38

Pumas were down to ten men before the clock in Torreón reached two minutes: referee Guillermo Pacheco gave a penalty and a straight red to Nathan Silva for a push on Ezequiel Bullaude, and David Faitelson asked on X why the referee was never sent to the screen. Santos won 2-0 with two penalties, their sixth league win in a row, a run El Siglo de Torreón says no Santos team had managed before.

• Silva saw red in the second minute (ESPN) for denying a clear chance, and Eduardo Aguirre scored the penalty in the sixth. Franco Pardo added a second penalty in the 80th after a Rubén Duarte handball.
• Santos were seven games without a win at the start of the Apertura, with one point. Since then: six wins in a row and 19 points, ninth, one behind eighth place.
• Pumas played more than 100 minutes with ten, counting 16 minutes of stoppage time. Next: Pumas host Tigres on Saturday, Santos visit Tijuana on Sunday.

Mediotiempo writes that Silva arrived late and put his arm on Bullaude's back, which knocked the Argentine off balance, and that the referee "no dudó y señaló la pena máxima con la correspondiente tarjeta roja" (did not hesitate and gave the penalty with the red card that goes with it). Faitelson, the TUDN journalist, was blunt on X: "A Pumas 'lo mató' el árbitro al minuto 1 en Torreón" (the referee 'killed' Pumas in the first minute in Torreón). Then the question that gives this story its title: "Lo que no entiendo es por qué el árbitro no fue al VAR" (what I don't understand is why the referee did not go to VAR), adding that there was "un ligero contacto del brasileño con el argentino" (slight contact from the Brazilian on the Argentine), as quoted by Juanfutbol.

The former Liga MX referee Fernando Guerrero, TUDN's refereeing analyst, went further: "NO ES PENAL. Este contacto de Nathan de Pumas no es suficiente para hacer caer al jugador de Club Santos" (it is not a penalty, this contact is not enough to bring the Santos player down). He also explained the silence from the booth: "El VAR no entró porque para él no hay elementos claros para quitar el penal" (VAR did not step in because, for it, there was nothing clear enough to overturn the penalty). Silva had started all 12 previous Apertura games and had one yellow card, according to Milenio.

With an extra man for almost the whole night, Santos had 65% of the ball and nine shots, and ESPN credits them with two on target: the two penalties. Pumas managed five shots and one on target, and Carlos Acevedo kept the clean sheet on the day the club announced his new contract to 2030. Santos call him a "Canterano Guerrero" (a home-grown Warrior): he came through their academy, debuted against Cruz Azul in August 2016 and went to the 2026 World Cup with Mexico. The night ended tense, with the benches clearing near the 88th minute and a member of the Pumas staff sent off, according to El Siglo de Torreón and Claro Sports.

What happens next: Pumas, now 11th on 16 points, host Tigres on Saturday 24 October at 21:10 in Mexico City, with Adalberto Carrasquilla a doubt after he left in the 49th minute holding his groin (Juanfutbol). Santos go to Tijuana on Sunday 25 October at 21:10 in Mexico City, then host Necaxa on 1 November. Renato Paiva's side have four games left to hold on to a place in the top eight.