Santa Fe, little by little, is picking up pace and adapting to what its new coach, the Uruguayan Alfredo Arias, wants. Even with gaps in his game, both in attack and defense, he had the peace of mind to add and in the first two dates of the League, in which he played as a visitor.
However, the 2-2 draw against Águilas Doradas, in Rionegro, turned out to be frustrating due to the way it was played, with a goal in stoppage time and a much-discussed play that seemed like a legitimate goal by Wilson Morelo.
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The draw, despite everything, gives Arias a cushion to continue working and to prepare for his home debut in the 2022-II League, which will be on Sunday at El Campín, against Cortuluá, at 4:05 in the afternoon .
The goal that left doubts in the defense at the beginning of the game
Historically, to enjoy, Santa Fe, first, has to suffer, and that’s what happened in the Alberto Grisales stadium, where he started losing in a play that, surely, must have left DT Arias very worried. They scored a headed goal in a play in which the defense looked very disjointed, after a center by the debutant Róbinson Flores and a shot by Marco Pérez, at 15 minutes of the first stage.
The goal, fortunately for Arias, was one of the few cracks that the team had when it came to defending. The Uruguayan defender José Manuel Aja showed that he can be important in this team, with a lot of solvency at the back and with a good contribution, even when it comes to attacking.
If Santa Fe suffered a bit from above, in this match they recovered one of their virtues from the last few years, which is their offensive aerial game. That way came the equalizer, at 22 minutes, when Wilson Morelo found revenge after having missed a penalty on Sunday, against La Equidad en Techo. The Santa Fe striker didn’t have to get up to put his head into a good cross from Neyder Moreno and equalize the score.
Before the end of the first half, Santa Fe extended the advantage, with a bit of luck, but also with the virtue of Moreno, who took advantage of his good punch to try mid-distance: the ball deflected off Nicolás Lara’s leg before hitting in the goal of Juan David Valencia, at 43 minutes.
Controversial action: was Morelo’s goal annulled correctly?
Already in the second stage, the virtues of Aja and Morelo came together in a very controversial move, in which the feeling remained that Santa Fe was harmed by the VAR: Valencia half-stopped a header from Aja, gave it a rebound and Morelo he put inside the goal, 5 minutes into the second half. However, the manager of the VAR, the experienced Nicolás Gallo, saw a foul that no one else detected. Does not seem. The central referee, Éder Vergara, bought the idea and annulled the play. Topic to review…
Santa Fe seemed to resolve the game calmly, although Arias, perhaps, was too cautious: he disrupted the entire team from the middle of the field forward, by taking out Moreno, Juan Sebastián Pedroza, Hárold Rivera, Morelo and Matías Mier. He changed the module, ended up playing with three central defenders and everything looked to end with a red victory.
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But in the fourth minute of substitution, Flores threw a cross at ground level, Marco Pérez anticipated the entire defensive block of Santa Fe and tied the game, in another disputed play, which the VAR gave as valid. The play unleashed the fury of Arias, which he angrily claimed.
Santa Fe scores a lot of goals, but they are conceding a lot too. That, surely, does not like Arias. But at least he has the cushion to add as a visitor. It remains to be seen how Santa Fe solves at home.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
@josasc
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