Millonarios won and took a breather in the League, but was left in suspense by the health of ‘Tiger’ Falcao

Last night’s three points against Tolima are a relief for Millonarios, who ended up winning 1-0 against Deportes Tolima at El Campín. But now they are in suspense due to the health of Radamel Falcao García, who did not come onto the field in the second half.

Millonarios went out to take the pressure off themselves, generated by the rumors that Alberto Gamero would have to wait until he could get back on track. They gambled on a single striker, Falcao, fed, in theory, by two wingers, Jhon Córdoba and Kevin Palacios, and a playmaker, Mackalister Silva. And it only took five minutes for him to find the advantage, with a corner kick from Silva that he found very free to head past Andrés Llinás.

However, the game only lasted ten minutes, because with the score at 1-0, Millonarios retreated again and handed the ball to Tolima, who, in the first half, did not do much damage. The ‘Tiger’ did not appear much. And the game became very cut off.

It’s almost necessary to make a medical section to describe that first half: Palacios’ shoulder came out, Llinás and Alfonzo collided when going to get an aerial ball and the former ended up bleeding, and then there was another crash, between Vargas and Montero, which delayed the game.

Llinás was unable to continue and Sergio Mosquera came in for him. And Gamero also had to take off Falcao, who suffered a blow to his left hand after being pushed by Anderson Angulo and was awaiting tests to rule out a fissure or fracture: he was replaced by Leonardo Castro.

The problem for the coach is that Tolima, now yes, found the ball and space to scare. Gustavo Adrián Ramírez, the most incisive of the first half, came on very fast and hit the post, taking advantage of the lack of play between Mosquera and Vargas.

Millonarios was once again suffering from the problems of the first matches, because the filter in the middle was not working and Daniel Giraldo was arriving late. They were exposed to Tolima, a team that knows how to get the most out of the ball, starting to tilt the field towards Montero’s goal.

It took Gamero 20 minutes to find a solution. And his idea was to take off Silva and Charrupí to bring on Daniel Ruiz and Stiven Vega. That is, piece by piece. Millonarios never got there and barely tested the goalkeeper again with 10 minutes left, in a free kick by Ruiz that found Daniel Giraldo on the rebound.

In a final push, with Juan José Ramírez on the field instead of Palacios, Millonarios tried to press high and move the game away from their area to maintain the advantage. But then Tolima forced them back again, but without causing any damage.

Millonarios reached seven points and can breathe a sigh of relief in the table. Now they are not only waiting for the date and venue of the match against América, but also for Falcao’s condition to not be serious.

Jose Orlando Ascencio

Sports Deputy Editor

@josasc