Meluk tells him (Santa Fe, first and Nacional outside: all the same!)

Fast-paced! Thus, neither more nor less, was the last qualifying date of the League. The excitement is guaranteed with this format and more, when a herd of teams all so similar, all so alike, all so cut from the same cloth, walked the edge of the precipice. Some grabbed with their nails and saved themselves, like Junior, who despite this is once again a candidate to be champion. Others, like Nacional and his lineage technician, Paul Autorifell off the cliff with the missed penalty by Jefferson Duque.

Tremendous day with missed penalties, goals celebrated and then annulled by the VAR; with entrances and exits of the partial group of semifinalists… Pure adrenaline to the fullest!
Santa Fe, songo sorongo, silent, with the low profile of his low press, finished first. Who would believe it! And Once Caldas ended up outside, when he was inside for much of Sunday and today they chop him like dry firewood in Manizales.

Photo:

Maurice Moreno. TIME

They compete for the title from now on, andn the semifinal home run To Santa Fe, Millonarios, Pereira and Junior. And in group B, Águilas Doradas, Medellín, Pasto and América. All so even, all so even… The League system, beyond the draw, was never more like a paper bag to put the names of the classified teams on a piece of paper and draw them out one by one until the last shout that’s the champion. Bingo!

(You may be interested: Ready for the home runs of the League: Santa Fe and Millonarios, in the same group)

Santa Fe’s own coach, Alfredo Arias, said eight days ago that his team was winning, but played poorly. He came out first, seeded. He won the all against all. Go see! Águilas, with his earning payroll, found a way to play with Leonel Álvarez, he was the first to secure his spot and benefited as the other top seed.

Medellín is like the others, and it went from romanticism to pragmatism in order to classify. Simple. Millionaires suffered to enter. After being the reincarnated ‘Blue Ballet’, he collapsed in free fall and, with the rope around his neck, qualified in a game that he won, lost and finally got ahead despite himself: from the gross mistakes of his goalkeeper Montero and the missed penalty for his young promise Daniel Ruiz. He ended up with a lot of defenses and sweating oil in Barrancabermeja.

Pereira and Pasto are the deserving boys classified on their own merits, and also because of the irregularity of the greats who let them through.

America and Junior, two greats who got involved like pods, due to their very condition they are already favorites. This is how our League is every day.

(Also read: Colombia, runner-up in the world!! The U-17 women’s team makes history)

What is it like? Well, it’s like a raffle in which anyone, because they are so equal, so similar, more or less the same thing, can be champion. Simple.

The sensational women’s team

I cannot finish this column without referring to the sensational presentation of the U-17 Women’s National Team, runner-up, world championship in India.

Yes: it’s lazy to lose, to have been so close to the title and let it go for the smallest account against a power like Spain. But, sure, there is no claim, no complaint.

The pride of his football, his work, his results, his way of approaching the tournament is an example for all of national football.

Really, that all this is an impulse to unlock women’s football in this country once and for all.

Meluk tells him

GABRIEL MELUK
SPORTS Editor
@MelukLeCuenta