Deportes Tolima and Millonarios drew 1-1 at Manuel Murillo Toro in the first leg of the grand final of Colombian professional soccer.
The emotions did not take long to reach the city of Ibagué and it was the posh cast who hit first and managed to go at halftime with the score in their favor.
In the 36th minute, Juan Fernando Caicedo opened the scoring thanks to an exquisite definition with a left foot, after receiving a cross from Juan Pablo Nieto’s left side. The striker of the vinotinto y oro anticipated the centrals and with a cross shot he beat Christian Vargas, who barely saw how the ball touched the bottom of the net.
However, when it seemed that it was a victory for the Ibagué team, a grab in the Angle area over Jader Valencia, in the added time, allowed Juan Carlos Pereira to sentence the tie thanks to a good charge from the penalty spot.
In the beginning, the play of the controversy went unnoticed by judge Carlos Andres Betancur; However, the VAR referees called the referee and after reviewing the play in the booth, the referee determined the subjection as an infraction and pointed to the white spot.
For many critics and fans, there was a foul in the area against Valencia; however, there are those who think it is a normal grab and should not have been penalized.
What a difficult move. But the truth agrees with the appreciation of the referee Carlos Betancur, both were holding on, but the Tolima defender puts a strong “pull” on the opponent’s arm and ends up taking him to the ground #FinalLigaBetplay pic.twitter.com/ci2ovme9lb
– VAR Central (Andrés) ???? (@ElVarCentral) June 18, 2021
.
