Deportivo Independiente Medellín fell as a visitor 3-2 to Ecuador on October 9, for the fourth date of group E in the 2022 South American Cup. In a match marked by strong play, friction and aggression, the Guayaquil team became strong at the Jocay stadium in Manta, to prevail over the Antioquia team. Panamanian Alfredo Stephens scored a double, while Kevin Becerra were the scorers for the local team, while Edwar López and Miguel Camargo converted in favor of the Colombian team.
The strong game, the little preparation and control of the local ball, were the constant during the first 15 minutes of the game. The Jocay de Manta stadium was not in the best conditions and Independiente Medellín’s football with the ball on the ground could not appear.
At minute 17, Miguel Camargo from the left sector finished off the ball after goalkeeper Jorge Pinos, but the ball went wide by centimeters. As the minutes passed, Medellín regained control of the ball, but 9 de Octubre resorted to strong play, cutting the dynamic of the match.
The visit was improving averaging the half hour of the game, with accurate touches and frontal attacks. Medellín had seen that the goalkeeper Pinos was not very sure in his interventions. At minute 27, Andrés Cadavid fell inside the area, but referee Ivo Méndez did not sanction the foul on the defender from Antioquia.
However, at minute 33, October 9, he took the lead through Alfredo Stephens, who, with a header, after a cross from Marcos Cangá, beat goalkeeper Andrés Mosquera Marmolejo.
Three minutes later, Medellín tied the game through Edwar López, who took advantage of a pass from Andrés Ricaurte, so that the former Huila, Estudiantes and Olimpia, finished off from the right sector with a volleyed right leg, overcoming the resistance of goalkeeper Pinos.
After the goals, both teams came out with a better disposition to play, the referee Méndez sanctioned many fouls and the game was cut short, leaving less effective playing time. Under a debatable performance of the Bolivian referee and with a very thick game, the first half ended with complaints from both teams.
In the complementary stage, the game took a long time to start, after an impact on goalkeeper Jorge Pinos, who was cut off in the hundred. The player from 9 de Octubre was treated and after 10 minutes, he was able to restart the match.
Two minutes into the game, Marcos Cangá collided with Andrés Mosquera Marmolejo, who had to be treated by the medical team. Medellín tried to start from the bottom, but the Ecuadorian team exerted its strong leg to control its rival. When he tries to elaborate, 9 de Octubre managed to filter the ball very easily over the defensive line of the Antioquia team.
At minute 11, October 9 went ahead on the scoreboard, through Kevin Becerra, who took advantage of a cumbersome corner kick center and with his left leg, defined before the passivity of the visiting defense. This was the second goal for the Ecuadorian midfielder, so far in the Copa Sudamericana.
About minute 16, Germán Gutiérrez is shot down near the rival area. Three minutes later, with a free kick, the Panamanian Miguel Camargo with his right leg, sent the ball to the lower right corner, tying the match. After the goal, Medellín made three changes: they entered
Vladimir Hernández, Luciano Pons, Yulián Gómez and Bryan Castrillón, instead of Andrés Ricaurte, Diber Cambindo, Germán Gutiérrez and Adrián Arregui.
At minute 22, a foul by Miguel Camargo on Danny Luna, the referee Méndez did not hesitate to sanction the penalty, which was exchanged for a goal by Panamanian Alfredo Stephens, through an accurate charge in the upper corner, on the right hand post of goalkeeper Mosquera Marmolejo.
About minute 30, the game cooled down again, due to some discomfort that goalkeeper Jorge Pinos suffered in his head. The game was cut short by the interventions of the doctors with some players of October 9, the repeated fouls and the inexperience of the Bolivian center-back.
At minute 45, Javier Méndez was expelled from the game for assaulting the player Éder Cetré. Things were very complicated for Medellin, who failed to find their bearings in the game. The last minutes were with intensity of the visitor on the rival goal, looking for a tie
Finally, Medellín suffered its second loss in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana, showing a poor performance. For its part, October 9, achieved the first victory for the Ecuadorian team in this contest against a foreign team.
On the next date, October 9 receives Guaireña from Paraguay in Manta, while Independiente Medellín visits Internacional in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Juan Camilo Alvarez Serrano
FUTBOLRED correspondent
Medellín
On Twitter: @juanchoserran8
