There are two games in which Millonarios appeals to their alternate payroll to give priority to the Copa Libertadores. And so far, the balance, at least in terms of points, could not be better: two victories that, added to Tolima’s defeat against Junior, leave Alberto Gamero’s team in first place in the 2022-I League. This Saturday they beat a tough Cortuluá in El Campín, 1-0.
Cortuluá did not make it easy for Millonarios, because he stood up with a lot of order, cut off his rival’s game and not only prevented him from being kicked on goal, but did not even let him get close to goalkeeper Ernesto Hernández.
(Also read: Moving: video of the crying and hug of Ukrainian players in the Premier)
Of course, the fact that Alberto Gamero had to appeal to an almost completely emergent payroll also had a great influence. Of the team that played against Fluminense on Tuesday, only Álvaro Montero, Juan Pablo Vargas and Eduardo Sosa repeated, the latter ruled out for the return match to Brazil due to his expulsion. The vast majority of the headline has already traveled to Rio de Janeiro.
Cortuluá’s resistance in the first half
It was the first time that the 11 who entered the field got together in a scenario other than training and some had a hard time, such as Venezuelan Ríchard Celis, in his first game as a starter he had more luxuries than football.
The panorama began to change at the end of the first half, when Millonarios, little by little, found the way to disturb Cortuluá, and then, when Gamero took out Celis and Édgar Guerra in the intermission and put in Carlos Andrés Gómez and Yúber Quiñones, who brought joy and danger. With them, the court was already beginning to lean towards the visiting goal.
A Chilean goal left Millonarios as leader
The award for that effort by Millionaires came with a great goal by Juan Carlos Pereira, four minutes into the second half: he took advantage of a rebound in the area after taking a corner kick and hit it as a Chilean.
But when it was believed that Millonarios, with the advantage, would have more facilities to get there, Cortuluá showed courage and came close to equalizing. Suddenly even he deserved it for what he did.
(In other news: Roman Abramovich, Russian tycoon, leaves Chelsea out of his hands)
He had a very clear one, when Elvis Perlaza made a mistake and dropped Luis Carlos Ruiz in the area. Clear penalty. The League’s top scorer was in charge of collecting and Montero saved his second penalty of the year to keep the zero and the advantage. But they almost surprised him on the next play, when Yeferson Contreras took the rebound and wanted to bathe him: he did, but the ball hit the vertical and went away from the goal.
The end of the match was a one-on-one, with a couple of very clear options from Cortuluá that he was unable to resolve and another from Sosa to score the 2-0, facing the visiting goal, but he shot wide.
It was not easy for Millionaires. A genius from Pereira had to appear so that the three points stayed in El Campín, and now from the first place in the table, waiting for what Nacional does on Sunday in Bucaramanga.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
@josasc
#alternate #team #Millonarios #top #League
