COLOMBIA: Liga Postobon Apertura – Week 14 Round-up

Article courtesy of Colo Futbol

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Friday 3rd May

Junior 2 (Cardona 13P, Moreno 59)

Alianza Petrolera 1 (Avila 78)

Junior continued their good form and are now undefeated in six games after a 2-1 home win against mid-table Alianza in the Friday night game. The hosts took the lead via a spot kick from Edinson Toloza which is his tenth goal of the season. The penalty was awarded after Toloza was bundled over by defender Victor Castillo in the box when both players were trying to attack the ball from a corner.

The Sharks of Barranquilla stretched their lead with an amazing counter-attack goal after tremendous link-up play between Toloza and the goalscorer Dayro Moreno. After a big clearance out of the penalty area, Moreno picked up the ball and played in Toloza down the right, Toloza crossed a pin-point accurate cross for the emerging Moreno to dive and head home. Simply a beautiful goal. The pair are working well together and that was their 15th goal combined in just fourteen rounds of matches.

Petrolera were given a lifeline in the 78th minute from a wonderful free-kick from Alianza’s Jonathan Ávila. A superb curling effort with power that gave Sebastián Viera no chance of saving. The game fizzled out after that goal and Junior picked up the three points.

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Saturday 4th May

La Equidad 3 (Morelo 5, Motta 8, Corredor 74)

Deportes Quindio 0

In front of just over 300 supporters, La Equidad climbed out of the bottom four thumping basement boys Quindio 3-0 on Saturday evening. Two quick goals from José ‘Pepe’ Moreno (5 mins) and Stalin Motta (8 mins) set the hosts up for their win in a game that Quindio never looked like challenging.

The opening goal came from good work down the left wing from Darwin Andrade, who whipped in a excellent cross that planted straight onto Moreno to head past goalkeeper Julián Viáfara. On 8 minutes the lead was extended to 2-0 after José Manuel Nájera won the ball back on the edge of the box and Motta was emerging into the area, the ball fell lovely for the club captain to finish perfectly.

Quindio kept the hosts at bay until half-time and head coach Eduardo Cruz decided to make a double change when unfortunately for Los Cuyabros the substitutes did not help and Equidad continued to rule the game.

The game was all done and dusted on 74 minutes when Yonni Hinestroza placed Iván Corredor through on goal and Corredor smashed the ball past Viáfara for the third. Corredor had only been on the grass for a few minutes after replacing Nájera on 70 minutes.

Quindio prop up the league table with only eight points in 14 rounds of games and Equidad jump up to 12th with 16 points.

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Medellín 1 (Cano 17)

Itagüi 0

In a shock result, Independiente Medellín won their first game in eight at the expense of high-flying Itagüi thanks to an excellent goal by Argentine striker Germán Cano. Itagüi could have leapfrogged themselves to head the standings if they had grabbed a result in this, so they will travel back to Antioquia dejected with this defeat.

Throughout the game, Medellín looked good going forward but failed to create the chances to trouble the visitors goalkeeper Julián Mesa. The deadlock was broken in 17th minute with a lovely half-volley strike from Cano from the edge of the box.

Medellín now sit in a disappointing 14th on 14 points but hopefully can use this win to kick-start their season. Itagüi are well placed in third on 23 points.

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Deportes Tolima 2 (Monsalvo 27, Andrade 90P)

Deportivo Cali 2 (Lizarazo 21, Perea 76)

Deportes Tolima, like Itagüi, could have been sitting pretty at the top of the Liga Postobon but failed to overcome a Cali side who were unlucky not to leave with all three points.

Cali took the lead on 21 minutes against the run of play. Some hesitation on the edge of the box by Tolima defender Félix Noguera let Carlos Lizarazo steal the ball. Lizarazo gave a short pass to Brayan Perea who backheeled the ball back to Lizarazo for a smashing low shot to beat Paraguayan Ántony Silva in the Tolima goal.

Cali kept their lead for only five minutes, until a Charles Monsalvo headed goal with a suspicion of offside levelled the game up.

Tolima gained a hold of the match, but Cali used the counter attack to their advantage to steal the lead. A mix up in defence with Dávinson Monsalve and Bréiner Bonilla the main culprits let young striker Brayan Perea in to push the ball past Silva. Twenty year old striker Perea, has a big future and will sign for Serie A club Lazio officially on 1st of July.

Cali thought they had the points all wrapped up when disaster struck in the final minute, when Jéfferson Murillo conceded a penalty. Sergio Otalvaro surge into the box from the right wing and Murillo stuck out his foot and referee Adrián Vélez pointed to the spot. Despite veteran goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon diving the right way, Andrés Andrade placed the ball high and into the goal for a share of the points.

The draw takes Tolima second while it puts Leonel Álvarez ‘s Cali, momentarily in fifth place in the standings.

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Boyaca Chico 2 (Perez 15, Carabali 30)

Atletico Huila 1 (Mancilla 57)

In a battle of mid-table teams, Chico emerged as the victors as two first-half goals from Juan Pérez and Julián Carabali seemed too much for Huila to turnaround.

It was not an easy game for Chico to win and Huila put up a great fight but found themselves a goal down after just 15 minutes. A long-range wayward Edwin Móvil shot fell kindly to Pérez to calmly slot the ball past former Chico ‘keeper Carlos Abella.

Fifteen minutes later, the hosts doubled the lead after a horrible error from goalkeeper Abella. Another long-range shot was hit superbly by Luis Núñez, and the strike was parried by Abella. It was that man Pérez, who played in Carabali, and the striker fumbled the ball across the line in the empty goal.

Some great creativity down the left from Huila substitute Armando Maita got his team back in the game, crossing a pin-point accurate ball for Camilo Mancilla to head home. Throughout the remaninder of the second-half, Huila attacked but Chico dug in and protected all three points.

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Sunday 5th May

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Deportivo Pasto 2 (Mina 11, Velez 64)

Cúcuta Deportivo 1 (Hernandez 27)

Deportivo Pasto defeat tenth-placed Cúcuta ending a four game drawing streak on Sunday evening.

The opening goal came after 11 minutes starting with a wonderful cross to the back post from Pasto defender Fausto Obeso. The ball was met with a leaping header from Juan Guillermo Vélez which forced a great save from Cúcuta ‘keeper Luis Estacio, but he palmed the save in the path of Mauricio Mina to head home.

The goal did not discourage Cúcuta as the visitors started to settle down to try to score an equaliser and it came in the 27th minute. Mateo Figoli worked hard to snatch the ball from on the right-wing from John Jairo Montaño, Figoli whipped in a low cross and Henry Hernández escaped his marker to bury the chance.

In a very open game, both teams surged forward in search for a winner, and it was Pasto that regained the lead just after the hour although it was a scrappy goal at the end of a good counter attack.

A long ball came into the Cúcuta box and they panicked and failed to clear it out of the box and the predator, Vélez seized upon on the free ball to fire home.

Cúcuta hopes of grabbing a point faded especially when Edwin del Castillo picked up a second yellow six minutes from time.

Pasto finish the weekend in the top three and Cúcuta lay in tenth.

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Millonarios 4 (Moreno 17, Robayo 58, 83, Rentaria 88)

Patriotas Boyaca 1 (Hernandez 57)

Patriotas’ season seems doomed as they suffered their fifth loss of the season and it was a heavy 4-1 defeat by Millonarios. The home side looked to regain the spark that made them champions last season, and this game showed they finally could be getting it together with great flowing football and plenty of goals.

Los Embajadores took the lead in the 17th minute with Erik Moreno the scorer of a beautiful team move that split the Patriotas defence.

Great link-up play from Mayer Candelo and Fredy Montero provided Erik Moreno with a glorious chance to score, and he finished perfectly putting the hosts ahead.

It was a slow first half and Millos found themselves level just before the hour. A big kick from Uruguayan goalkeeper Nicolás Vikonis was flicked on into the path of Jhon Hernández who turned his marker and curled the ball home.

Millos hit back immediately from the kick off with a fantastic strike from Rafael Robayo. The ball fell to Robayo just inside the penalty area and he fired a powerful side foot into the underside of the bar.

Millos made sure of all three points seven minutes from time. Harrison Otálvaro floated in an excellent cross towards the back post which found Lewis Ochoa whose strike forced a great save from Vikonis. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper he parried it in the path of Robayo, who poked the rebound home for his second of the match.

The hosts were in the ascendancy and grabbed a fourth before full time. Substitute Wason Rentaria pounced on a long ball, turned Patriotas defender Andres Felipe Arboleda twice inside the box before delivering a powerful finish.

Millonarios finally seem to be getting their season going and sit in eighth just four points from first place, but Patriotas are second bottom and yet to win a match this season.

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Once Caldas 0

Sante Fe 0

Independiente Santa Fe failed with a chance to stretch their lead at the top of the standings, although hosts Once Caldas also missed the opportunity to climb to the summit with a goal-less draw on Sunday night.

The top two clashed in Caldas but in fairness the attacking forces of either side barely got a shot on target, and the two keepers José Fernando Cuadrado and Camilo Vargas were hardly tested. A disappointing game as both teams cancelled each other out. Santa Fe still top on 25 points, Caldas in second on 24.

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Envigado 3 (Morantes 31, 70, Rodríguez 81)

Atletico Nacional 0

Envigado, who were third bottom before last night’s games, smashed odds-on favourites Nacional by three goals on late Sunday night in the shock of week fourteen.

El Verde never got going and failed to gain control of the game, and it was a double by 37-year-old midfielder Néider Morantes that helped the underdogs on their way to the 3-0 victory. The veteran hit the first of his two goals just after half an hour, after a short corner he blasted the past Cristian Bonilla to send the Parque Estadio Sur crowd wild.

His second was sublime, deep into the second half, on 70 minutes, a free-kick from 25 yards out that left Bonilla stranded and well beaten. The replays of the goals showed it was a perfect shot, crashing the corner of the crossbar and post before nestling into the goal.

Nacional were shell-shocked and ten minutes later it was 3-0 and all hope of getting something was gone. It all came from a situation that youngster Sebastián Pérez should have got himself into losing the ball on the halfway line to Milton Rodríguez. Rodríguez sprinted clear and found himself one-on-one with Bonilla, whom he side-stepped and calmly planted the ball in the empty net to put the icing on the cake for the home side.

Now dropping down to seventh, Nacional are only three points off the top but they will know this was a great opportunity to stake their claim for the Apertura title and they failed miserablty

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