Keylor Navas played a key role in Pumas’ victory over Mazatlán in Liga MX, stopping a penalty and making several crucial saves. The Costa Rican goalkeeper’s performance helped secure a 4-1 win for the Mexico City club. Although the final score showed a comfortable margin, two of Pumas’ goals came during stoppage time.
Navas stopped a penalty in the second half when Pumas were leading 2-1. This was his second penalty save of the week, following another with the Costa Rica national team against Haiti. In that match, he was unable to prevent a goal on the rebound after making the initial save.
The result allowed Pumas to reach 12 points and move up to eighth place in the standings, strengthening their position within playoff contention as other matches remain to be played this round.
Navas faced challenges early in the match, making an important one-on-one stop just six minutes into play. He also saved a long-range shot and denied Mazatlán from close range near full time.
Mazatlán scored at the end of the first half after an attack down the left led to a low finish near Navas’ position. For Pumas, Guillermo Martínez scored twice—including one from the penalty spot—while Alan Medina and José Macías added late goals.
Pumas will next face Tigres on September 20. The upcoming opponent features Ángel Correa, who won a World Cup with Argentina. Navas joined Pumas this season after leaving Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina.
Navas returned to club action after international duty with Costa Rica, where he captained his team through draws against Nicaragua and Haiti. Following Costa Rica’s 3-3 draw with Haiti—a match where they lost a two-goal lead—Navas expressed frustration: “Tratamos de dar lo mejor, pero no nos pueden empatar un partido que estamos ganando 2-0. Eso no nos puede pasar y no podemos tapar el sol con un dedo, pese a que hacemos lo necesario para que se nos den los resultados,” said Navas after the game.
He added: “Estamos descontentos, los demás equipos están más cerca del mundial que nosotros y eso no puede pasar. Estamos tristes, somos conscientes y queremos mejorar.”
Fans interested in watching Keylor Navas play for Pumas can do so via Tubi, an ad-supported streaming platform that does not require subscriptions but instead relies on advertising revenue for free content delivery. Tubi regularly broadcasts home games for several Liga MX teams including Mazatlán and Tigres; more information is available at https://tubitv.com/.
Navas has made it clear that his goal is to help Costa Rica qualify for another World Cup following his return from retirement last year.
