Families with t-shirts, flags in cars and houses wrapped in white and green fabrics were some of the images that were seen in Medellín during the preview of the BetPlay League final against the Tolima. The paisa parents hoped that, in their day, the miracle would be done: star 17, after five years of waiting.
The green party started very early. Some put T-shirts on their pets and walked them around the neighborhood; others prepared the vuvuzelas, decorated motorcycles and cars, and undertook tours of their neighborhoods.
In the neighboring sectors of Athanasius Girardot and downtown, merchants made a killing. They sold purslane club shirts, bugles, balloons and flags. Meanwhile, the fans moved to the stadium and its surroundings, with a view to celebrating.
The initial whistle came at 7:01 at night, by the center back Andrés Roja. However, the expectant, hopeful faces in the two goal advantage with which Nacional arrived in Ibagué, They soon turned into anguish.
In the first minutes of the commitment there were several arrivals of the opponent. More than one lament was heard in the bars on 70, in the commercial corridors of El Poblado and Laureles, and in other neighborhoods of the city.
The two goals from Tolima, in minutes 17 (by an own goal by Emanuel Olivera) and 35 (with a goal by Juan Fernando Caicedo)They left the fans breathless. The account was equalized. The shouts of encouragement ceased for moments and the same emotion was recreated in the eyes of the spectators: bewilderment.
The second half accompanied Nacional in a better way. A goal by Dorlan Pabón, which was later discounted for being offside by Jéfferson Duque, gave back the momentum to the fans who gathered at various points in the city. Many already resigned themselves to penalties.
In the 90+1 minute of the match, Jarlan Barrier unbalanced the scoreboard and put Nacional above the series. The air returned to the swollen purslane, I felt that, for a moment, number 17 was slipping away: the gift that many parents were waiting for.
After the final whistle of the center-back at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium, the joy overwhelmed the paisas who accompanied the final game of the team led by Hernán Darío Herrera. The restless faces for the result migrated to a plethoric state, mediated by hugs, tears and laughter, after five years of waiting.
