The match ended and the lions Santa Fe They combed their hair, licked their lips satisfied with their pleasure, and adjusted their crown. They looked into each other’s eyes, they shone, they were defiant, fired-up looks, as if before celebrating that they had just won the Super League against Junior, by beating him and devouring him 3-0 in El Campín in Bogotá, they wanted to issue a warning: that they are already waiting for new rivals.
Those lions seemed to have just been released: after 5 minutes they were in a pack on Ríos, they intimidated him, they roared at him, they disarmed him with their jaws on his legs, they were First Murillo the one who assaulted him, and with the ball in his possession, Santa Fe armed the predatory attack: Hugo Rodallega He could face it, go forward, kick, but he, who senses everything, decided to make a pass behind, a great deception, Junior’s defense, which was trying to block him, did not understand what was happening, he did not realize that there were already four lions that were falling to the attack. Yilmar Velasquez He saw Murillo enter the area, free as if there were no rival in front, and it was he, he, he, while the public was in a heart attack, who scored over the goalkeeper, with a mixture of heart and luxury, and it was 1-0.
Santa Fe vs.. Junior. Photo:Nestor Gomez. THE TIME
A terrible roar of goal penetrated the ears of all the Junior players, who were a frozen, wounded shark, a shark that did not know what seas it had entered. The fiery ball burned them from feet to fins. Another error at the start allowed Rodallega to invent a volley that made goalkeeper Silveira, the entire defense and the entire coastal town tremble.
Santa Fe, the one that now has the seal of Pablo Repetto, had no mercy: he advanced his warriors as if they wanted to corner the rival and crush him against the south stand. That frenzy was passing. Junior, who had not yet raised the white flag, was grateful that Santa Fe slowed down. With a second wind, Junior went to defend his honor. In 25 minutes he managed to prove that he was alive. He launched his violent shots, from Suárez and Herrera, one after the other, but both were contained by the miraculous hands of Marmolejo.
Santa Fe vs.. Junior. Photo:Nestor Gomez. THE TIME
In that give and take, Santa Fe responded, like the boxer who waits, dances, dodges and then hits. Palacios, a three-lung Palacios, attacked and threw his right foot, and Silveira had to lie down, as if diving into the area, to deflect the ball. Santa Fe behind was a huge and solid wall, guarded by four, five and even six orderly and furious sentinels. And upstairs, it was something else, a voracious attack. There was Rodallega hanging around with the goal, sniffing it, thinking about it: goal, goal, goal. I wanted to shout it.
Hugo Rodallega, scorer for Santa Fe. Photo:Nestor Gomez. THE TIME
The first half was ending, Junior was crying out for water or for the whistle. But a free kick was missing from the side, from the south eastern side. There Rodallega placed the ball, felt its texture and stood in front of it as if he were going to give a speech. All the fans wanted to see and hear and applaud him. Hugo looked at the barrier as if measuring the size of his innocence, and kicked with his fury, the ball went like a bullet, against the post and into the net. It was such a great goal that it was abusive towards the goalkeeper: 2-0. Now Junior was crying out for mercy, at least to take a breath. “I’ll give you 15 minutes,” warned the Lion who went to have his well-deserved rest.
Omar Frasica scores a goal and it was disallowed. Photo:Nestor Gomez. THE TIME
Junior had an ace up his sleeve. Luis Fernando Muriel took the field. But it was Canchimbo who launched a good shot, only to see that Marmolejo was still inspired. Junior’s thing was to go all or nothing, take risks and pray that they wouldn’t give him the third. But Santa Fe was still hungry. The game could have ended when Frasica scored the third, but an offside – due to some long nail from Hugo – gave a new life to Junior, a Junior who didn’t even have the breath to dry his sweat, they just wanted the flight back to Barranquilla to pick them up right there on the field to take them out of hell. But their drama was not over, in injury time Nahuel Bustosone of the new guys in the pack, scored the third.
In Santa Fe they were so sure of their victory that they could have yelled at the referee to give him another minute if he wanted. When the match finally ended, the lions, with the crown on their heads, still had the strength to celebrate, but they stood firm, with a defiant look, as if announcing that they were ready for new battles.
PABLO ROMERO
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@PabloRomeroET
