in an agonizing game millionaires was crowned this Saturday champion of the colombian league by beating 3-2 on tiebreaker penalties against National Athletic in a game played at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá, which was covered by blue fans who never lost faith in their team. The tiebreaker was reached because in the first leg they tied 0-0 and in today’s second leg they also tied 1-1.
For Millionaires, Jorge Arias, Juan Pereira and Larry Vásquez were successful in the launch. Jader Valencia and Luis Carlos Ruiz failed.
Meanwhile in Atlético Nacional Danovis Banguero and Jefferson Duque scored. Dorlán Pabón, Cristian Zapata and Jarlan Barrera made a mistake. When Larry Vásquez scored the fifth charge and managed to defeat Kevin Mier, the Millonarios fans began a celebration in the stadium that quickly spread through the streets of Bogotá where the 16th star was greeted with gunpowder and caravans of cars in which they hoisted flags and vuvuzelas sounded.
Already in the game, the first goal of the night was scored by the visiting team through striker Jefferson Duque, minute 30, while defender Andrés Llinás equalized at minute 70. The first 10 minutes were closed thanks to the work of the defenses, who controlled the attempts of the agile opponents who carefully sought the goal but did not achieve it.
These iron provisions meant that in the first 20 minutes no team made a shot at the opposite goal. Millionaires had their first great opportunity but their players tied a knot and could not define against goalkeeper Kevin Mier who was helped by his teammates Yerson Candelo and Danovis Banguero to clear the danger. 23 minutes went. At this point in the clash, the coaches Alberto Gamero and Paulo Autuori did not stop gesturing and raising their hands to their heads or faces in the face of their pupils’ mistakes.
Around minute 29, David Silva finished off with his left foot and narrowly beat Mier, a charge that took the breath away from the Atlético Nacional fans who a minute later celebrated wildly the goal by Jefferson Duque, who caught the ball woven by Banguero and Dorlan Pabon. Autori’s team is practical to go ahead in the duel.
In the next ten minutes, Millonarios fell into a lethargy that almost cost them more goals, a sign that Duque’s goal was a hammer blow that they could not assimilate. With water around their necks, Millonarios tried in the second half to level the score with shots from David Silva, Leonardo Castro and Daniel Cataño who, however, died at the hands of Mier, the great figure of the night.
Encouraged by their fans who filled the stands of the El Campín stadium, Millonarios tried again and again but it was all in vain until defender Andrés Llinás appeared, scoring it for 1-1 with 70 minutes of play remaining. The match ended with Millonarios trying to resolve the match without the need to go to tiebreaker penalties, while Atlético Nacional bet on that card.
The last time Millonarios, led by Alberto Gamero for three years, lifted the champion’s cup was in the Clausura Tournament in 2017, when they beat Santa Fe, their local rival, under the technical direction of Argentine Miguel Ángel Russo. He has now completed his 16th league title.
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