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America he played against everything: favoritism and the best campaign of Santa Fe throughout the year, the bad streak at home (had not won since October 25, against Food, with three defeats and a draw), against a great defense … But the finals have that special ingredient, which makes some of them get out of the hierarchy and others can make their virtues disappear.
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Juan Cruz Real’s team, the one so criticized Juan Cruz RealToday, he is 90 minutes away from getting the 15th star. And he did it thanks to a game in which he showed off his forcefulness, the hierarchy of a squad that has already loaded the two best payrolls in Colombian football, those of Nacional and Junior, and who now wants to continue on. The 3-0 leaves him in an unbeatable position to celebrate next Sunday in The Campin, starting at 6 in the afternoon.
The beginning of the game was curious: when one team dominated the most, the other had a small reaction and created a dangerous play. America started out being more, blocking all avenues to his goal and playing properly.
Instead of attacking in the center, where Santa Fe is usually strong, he preferred to open the field and seek partnerships and then close the game towards the area, with Luis Sánchez and Santiago Moreno on the right and Yesus Cabrera and Duván Vergara to the left
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America did it well, until he made the mistake of committing a foul on the edge of the area, something that, in Santa Fe language, is half a goal. The collection of Fabian Sambueza he found the head of Dixon Renteria, but the defender’s shot crashed horizontally, after a poor start by goalkeeper Joel Graterol.
From that moment on, the one that seemed to have the game under control was Santa Fe, but the one that scored the goal was America, in a mixture of virtues and defects: the first, a luxury of Luis Francisco Sanchez to reach the final line and prevent the ball from going, returning it to the cue field. Then, a very good center from Santiago Moreno and a bad visitor rejection, on the edge of the area. And finally, an action by Yesus Cabrera, who hooked from the right and finished off with his left foot to put it down, glued to the post, where the goalkeeper did not reach Leandro Castellanos. A great goal.
VAR appeared
Also: (How was it not a goal? The option that all Santa Fe regretted).
America could go on long. He even scored a second goal, after a pass from Adrián Ramos and a shot from Santiago Moreno, but the judges of the WHERE, Nicolás Gallo and Alexánder Guzmán, they warned central Carlos Ortega that Ramos was ahead when the pass came out from the local field.
For the second half, Santa Fe came out determined to seek a tie, with much more offensive intentions than he had in the first stage. And America began to suffer from the accumulated attrition of all the parties after the pandemic. In one minute he lost two pieces through injury, to winger Edwin Velasco and to Luis Paz, the axis of the team in the middle. In his replacement they entered Daniel Quinones and the chilean Rodrigo Ureñto.
Little by little, Santa Fe was increasing the level of intensity. And so, the field was inclined towards the north arc of Pascual Guerrero, which was occupied by goalkeeper Graterol. He first tried with a cross shot of Sambueza that was narrowly deflected, and then, in a very long throw-in in which Graterol he confided himself and Daniel Giraldo, alone in front of the goal, headed outside.
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But Santa Fe could not translate that dominance into goals, in an offensive idea that DT Hárold Rivera wanted to emphasize with the entry of Luis Manuel Seijas instead of Kelvin Osorio. America, on the other hand, in an isolated play, increased the advantage in a play that was born in a throw-in by Daniel Quinones. Again, the defense’s rejection was short, but to one side. There he took the ball Jesus Cabrera, that touched towards the center, without much force, but enough for it to reach Duván Vergara, who also hit him bitten, but the defenders and the goalkeeper Castellanos got confused and the ball ended up getting into the goal. 2-0 and the final took more red.
Santa Fe tried everything, both to try to trim the handicap and to keep the gap from getting longer. He finished with two strikers, took out the creatives, tried to change the scheme, but neither one nor the other came out. At 33 of the second stage, a spectacular change of front from Vergara found free Santiago Moreno, who beat his back Carlos Arboleda and finished off from the right to beat Castellanos. Party liquidated and maybe the final too …
Now, the one who will have to play against history is Santa Fe: a difference of three goals has never been traced in a final of the Colombian League: the one that was closest was Nacional, who raised, in the second half of 2004, a 3 -0 from Junior with 5-2 in Medellín, but lost on shots from the penalty spot. This semester he did not win a game by four goals and only twice did he by three goals, against Alianza Petrolera (4-1) and Medellín (3-0). What seemed like a party is turning into a nightmare.
JOSÉ ORLANDO ASCENCIO
SPORTS Deputy Editor
On Twitter: josasc
