It didn’t look like a semi-final. It didn’t look like a classic. They were not seen as two of the top four teams in Colombia. América and Junior played a weak game, but the Sharks left the Pascual Guerrero stadium smiling last night in the first game of the series in search of a place in the League final.
It was a bad game for both, but a good result for Junior considering that he was in visitor status and that he came from wear and tear due to his string of league commitments and in the South American Cup, where he played the previous Thursday in La Calera, Chile .
The trips and the demands he had in southern territory made a dent in the physical state of the Sharks. So much so that Teófilo Gutiérrez left the court in the first minutes after suffering a muscle contracture, which puts his participation in the second leg at risk.
Junior not only lost Teo, but also Luis ‘Cariaco’ González, who retired with a contusion on his right foot.
With Teo and ‘Cariaco’ on the field, the rojiblancos had not been able to put together offensive options. In fact, it was difficult to handle the ball and go deep. There was no understanding or much panache to seek the opposite goal.
Those led by Luis Amaranto Perera gave up the offensive initiative and América was totally powerless to unbalance and produce danger in Sebastián Viera’s area.
With Duván Vergara off, without interpreters to exploit his game and well guarded by Fabián Viáfara, America was left without offensive arguments. Only desire and intentions, but no clarity. There were many interruptions and little football.
A blunder from the rojiblanca rear or fishing for a rebound was the only scarlet hope with a goal face. And Gabriel Fuentes almost facilitated the route with a couple of mistakes that caused anxiety in the visiting area.
Santiago Moreno had the clearest option of the game by catching a loose ball in front of Viera, but his faint header died meekly in Viera’s safe hands. The Uruguayan goalkeeper also drowned out the goal cry in the last second of the initial stage game against a half volley from Luis Sánchez, in what was the host’s best team play.
The entry of Sherman Cárdenas by Teófilo did nothing to give Junior an offensive compass. The santandereano continued disconnected, just as it was shown before Unión La Calera.
Anyway, defensively, despite Fuentes’ hesitation and the occasional mistrust that Dany Rosero sowed with the ball at his feet, Junior responded correctly.
Viáfara, Rosero, Mera and Fuentes remained correct, with the great support of Larry Vásquez and, above all, Fabián Ángel, who once again demonstrated safety and quality. The challenge did not weigh on him and he was perhaps Junior’s most outstanding player.
In the second period, Junior improved a little. Not enough to generate several clear goal options, but he did show greater determination and desire to seek the rival goal. In this vein, Miguel Borja searched for a couple of shots with some risk in the goal of Éder Cháux.
Junior was not a whirlwind, at all, but he dominated the ball for a longer time and kept the ‘Red Devils’ away from Viera’s cabin throughout the second half.
In fact, Juan Cruz Real’s pupils did not manufacture goal options in the entire second half. Little and nothing contributed the substitutions of the Argentine coach, Junior controlled with greater solvency and without leaks.
The ball still looking for Rosero, free throws and even throw-ins (with the powerful arms of Fuentes and Viáfara), tried to be used by Junior, but they were not rounded up by shaking the rival network.
It really was a tedious game, with very few emotions and no ingenuity to open the scoring. The two caused yawning, but the result amuses Junior more than next weekend, at home, he will try to go to the final without Rosero’s presence, due to the accumulation of yellow cards. America will not have Duván Vergara for the same reason.
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