Mazatlán, Sinaloa.- Dorados de Sinaloa suffered a 1-3 defeat against Cruz Azul Hidalgo at El Encanto stadium, during matchday 12 of the Liga de Expansión, a result that complicates their aspirations of advancing to the Liguilla. The visiting team took control from the first half with goals from Bryan Gamboa, in the 6th minute, and Emmanuel Sánchez, in the 39th, to go into halftime with a two-goal advantage. El Gran Pez could not contain the 'celeste' offense and ended up conceding three important points in the final stretch of the regular season.

In the second half, head coach Luis Orozco made three substitutions with the intention of changing the course of the match. The Sinaloan reaction came in the 62nd minute, when captain Fernando González surprised with a shot that ended up in the back of the net next to the far post, bringing Dorados closer on the scoreboard. However, as the home team was seeking the equalizer, Valdivia sealed the match in the 92nd minute, finishing off a counter-attack with a through ball to establish the definitive 3-1 victory for Cruz Azul Hidalgo.

Despite the setback on matchday 12, Dorados could still aspire to qualify for the Liguilla, although their chances will depend on the points they earn in the remaining matchdays and the results of their direct rivals. To determine if they retain mathematical options to advance, their current position, their score, and the tournament's qualification criteria must be known. The 'Aurinegro's' next commitment will be on Friday, October 16th, when they visit Correcaminos de la UAT at the Marte R. Gómez stadium, within matchday 13, a key match to seek recovery and stay in the fight.