Deportes Tolima has not been able to celebrate a league title ending in Ibagué. Now, against Atlético Nacional, they have the possibility of finally achieving it, after several failed attempts.
At the time, Tolima celebrated promotion at the Murillo Toro in 1994, and this year, they beat Cali in the Superliga, playing the final match at their stadium. Now he could finally get that weight off his shoulders.
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Tolima has a favorable and recent record against Nacional
Tolima has three stars adorning its shield. He got all of them by closing the finals as a visitor: against Deportivo Cali, in 2003; Nacional, in 2018, and Millonarios, last year.
Precisely, that final against Nacional in Medellín was one of the most celebrated, due to the circumstances in which it took place: the greens had won in the first leg, 0-1, at the Murillo Toro, with a goal from Dayro Moreno.
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With a full stadium, Tolima showed hierarchy and leveled the series, with a goal by Danovis Banguero in stoppage time, and then, in shots from the penalty spot, he kept the title.
Only two players remain from that team that played on June 9, 2018 at Atanasio, Julián Quiñones and Yohandry Orozco. But from then on there was a constant: Tolima always performed against Nacional as a visitor: they have visited that stage seven times and only lost two. He has even won this year: on February 3, 0-1 with a goal from Paraguayan Gustavo Adrián Ramírez.
Tolima is still alive in all the tournaments he plays
Tolima’s classification also has an additional merit: the team He fought in all the tournaments in which he participated and in all of them he is still in competition. They ranked second in the round robin phase, after being the leader for much of the regular phase.
In the Copa Colombia, in which they went directly to the round of 16, they eliminated Deportivo Pereira and are still in the race for the title. But the highlight of the semester for Tolima was having reached the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, in which they will face Flamengo in the week following the final against Atlético Nacional.
This classification alsohas a milestone for Colombian club football: it won two away games against two Brazilian teams, América Mineiro and Atlético Mineiro, to get an outstanding ranking.
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Despite the fact that the team was well reinforced, Torres had to suffer at some moments of the campaign, in which injuries harmed him. Even in the middle of the semi-final home run he had to improvise central defenders. But the accumulated work brought him a more than fair prize.
Hernán Torres and his team have many things to celebrate: they are in the fight for the Copa Libertadores and now they are going for the star again, again against Nacional, whom they already defeated four years ago, this time, with Alberto Gamero in the bank. The dream of the fourth star is more than alive.
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