him It was a great game, intense, vibrant, back and forth, with goals. America lost, suffered, and in the end, found a 2-2 draw against a Santa Fe team that won well in the first half and was unable to hold on to its lead.
Santa Fe was a beast in the first half. With those lions in attack, Morelo, Mier and De la Rosa. America suffered every time it lost the ball, because it was always left unprotected, with huge spaces well used by the attacking Cardinals.
Cardinal’s first goal came from a dead ball. Mier took a shot, low, so hard that he almost put goalkeeper Novoa on goal, who with effort avoided the goal, but gave the rebound. He did not expect that Morelo was lurking there, ready to hunt and score: 0-1 in 14 minutes.
America maintained its dominance, but unproductively. He was barely able to get close in the middle distance of Micolta, a couple of times. Before half an hour of play he had his best approach, in a great team play, pressure, and touch, but Malagón avoided the goal when Castellanos was already defeated.
The game, under the rain, was intense. America knew that it could not be neglected, and it did. Mier commanded the counterattack, with a great panorama he threw a long pass to De la Rosa, and Mier himself advanced towards the area waiting for the ball to return, there the creeping center came to him, he controlled and took his shot, 0-2 in 37 minutes.
(Also read: James Rodríguez and Falcao would have had a strong clash in the Colombian National Team)
And the third could have come in the first part, when Wed. again, he threw a perfect cross to De la Rosa, which he received, set up and kicked wrong.
America finished the first time out, because they found a lethal rival on the counterattack, a rival that found many spaces.
Scarlet reaction
In the second part America came out determined to find the discount. Quintana entered to strengthen the offensive zone. Santa Fe took out Mier, who was his most important man.
Adrián Ramos tried a great free kick that Castellanos saved. But at minute 14, the goalkeeper grabbed Quintana’s shirt, in the area, and it was a foul, a penalty that was reviewed in the VAR in any case.
Ramos kicked a stick, Castellanos guessed, touched the ball, but could not stop it, it was 1-2.
The game picked up more pace, Santa Fe took shelter far behind. So the final minutes were of anguish for the local fans.
And when the game was over, Ramos, a great figure of the match, threw a cross that hit Jerson Malagón, and the ball went straight towards his goal: a self-goal.
Santa Fe is still undefeated, it took a point from Pascual, but it didn’t taste bitter, because it couldn’t sustain the victory.