Santa Fe touched victory, but it was not enough: they tied without goals against Atlético Nacional

The match ended and Santa Fe They were left with a feeling that it was not fair to have empathized with National 0-0 in El Campín, because the cardinal team did almost everything to win. They lacked precision and they disallowed a goal that they must still be protesting. In any case, the eleven lions raised their heads with honor, because they left everything. They lacked very little against a Nacional that is still far from being Nacional.

The El Campìn stadium, as is customary in this Santa Fe campaign, was full. Thousands of red-and-white souls cheered on the cardinal team, they wanted victory, a complete party, they were not given it, only a tie, which still works for them.

It was a very studied match at the beginning, very calculated by both teams. Aristizábal was the first to cause concern, the one who proved how awake goalkeeper Marmolejo was, who jumped in and avoided the danger. Yes, he was awake, very attentive.

The first move discussed came when Jersson González He was knocked down entering the area, penalty, the 28,828 in attendance at the stadium shouted, but no, the VAR gave justice and showed that Arias' sweep went to the ball, and outside, and Jersson collided with goalkeeper Castillo.

It was the first cardinal warning, and he had another with his sharpest weapon, the most dangerous, with Hugo Rodallega who was about to score one of those goals that can easily be framed, capturing the photo of Hugo diving, floating, to invent a brilliant bicycle kick: the ball hit and almost surprised goalkeeper Castillo. It was going to be a great goal.

Santa Fe kept the rhythm, weaving its approaches, Juan Pablo Zuluaga He launched a cross shot that managed to awaken goal-scoring emotions. Nothing worse. He didn't arrive. Meanwhile, Nacional went for its own thing, a couple of attempts, nothing serious, shots that were again avoided by goalkeeper Marmolejo, who was very awake.

The rest of the first half passed without incident, without a goal. But the people in the stands did not despair, there was time for their lions to roar and seek victory. In the second half the match maintained its tone, that of two teams that wanted, but took care of each other. Santa Fe had more intentions, which looked more solid, more established, as if it had discovered how to get to the goal.

And he found it in a good play that the referee Hinestroza did not validate. It was a play with a lot of analysis. A long cross for Rodallega who finished off with a header, the goalkeeper Castillo took a step back and felt like he was stepping into an abyss, the ball surpassed him, he reacted, double-swiped and took it almost from inside, on the rebound came DDaniel Torres to shoot and score, El Campín trembled, the fans shouted the goal they had stuck, but the referee was not sure, maybe he still isn't. An advanced player, Zuluaga, apparently interfered with the view of the goalkeeper who was on the floor and had no way to react, but Hinestroza, after looking and re-watching the play on the VAR screen and even asking his line assistant for help –they must still be discussing whether yes or no– decided that it was not a valid goal.

Santa Fe, however, realized that his rival was no longer attacking him, that Aristizábal, the only striker, was devoured by the lions of the defense. So the cardinal team looked for the goal again, it was close with Chaverra who after a feint finished and found the goalkeeper Castillo well saved.

Nacional did not seem like the one in need, it did not seem like the team that was dying in the championship, the one that needed victory no matter what. No, it was a pale Nacional, who was running out of ideas, without ways to attack, without strength. The rest of the Antioquia team's game was one of waiting, as if the tie would help them. And it didn't work for them.

Santa Fe wanted victory to seal their classification and tried until the end. He had another great opportunity to score, again with Hugo Rodallega, who this time received a side cross from Meléndez and appeared in the area, free, no one from Nacional realized that the most dangerous man in Santa Fe was unmarked, and Rodallega He hit an accurate header, low, at an angle, so close to the post that the ball passed very close. Hugo held his head at the same time as the almost 30 thousand souls did. It was a goal and once again it escaped the cardinal scorer.

Torres had one more, which went wide, and that was it. Santa Fe was left with that disappointment that he could have won, but it wasn't enough.

PABLO ROMERO

SPORTS

@PabloRomeroET

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