Atlético Bucaramanga secured a 1-3 away victory against Once Caldas at el estadio Palogrande, por la decimosegunda jornada de la Liga BetPlay 2026-II. The win extends Bucaramanga’s unbeaten run and elevates the santandereano side to the upper reaches of the domestic standings.
Bucaramanga Strikes Early in Manizales
The visiting side seized control of the fixture within the opening moments in Manizales. At the first minute of play, Feliz Charrupí received the ball in the middle of the pitch and filtered a pass from his own half that broke the opposing defensive block to assist Emerson Batalla, who ran onto the pass, entered the penalty area, and struck a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Jesús Camargo.
Once Caldas attempted a response when Jefry Zapata directed a header toward goal that forced a sharp save from Bucaramanga goalkeeper Diego Novoa. However, the home side failed to equalize. In the 12th minute, Atlético Bucaramanga doubled their advantage. Following a goalmouth scramble, Fabián Sambueza laid the ball off to Fabry Castro, who unleashed a long-range effort from outside the box that struck the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net.
Second-Half Goals Seal the Points
Bucaramanga maintained their offensive pressure after halftime. In the 58th minute, Luciano Pons received possession inside the area and touched the ball to Feliz Charrupí. Charrupí eluded his marker with a sharp turn and finished with a low, crossed shot past Camargo to extend the visitors’ lead to three goals.
Once Caldas responded two minutes later. Andrés Colorado slipped a pass through to Dayro Moreno, who unleashed a powerful strike past Novoa. The goal added to Moreno’s historical scoring tallies in Colombian professional football, reinforcing his status as the tournament’s and the nation’s all-time leading scorer.
Atlético Bucaramanga Climbs to Second Place
The 1-3 victory lifts Atlético Bucaramanga to second place in the Liga BetPlay table with 20 points, built on a record of five wins and five draws through the campaign. Once Caldas sits in tenth position with 12 points following the result.
Refereeing Crew Manages Substitutions
Ferney Ossa served as the match referee, assisted by VAR officials Luis Picon and Johan Castro. The fixture featured multiple substitutions, with Pipe Gómez replacing Helieyker Guzman, Juan Nieto replacing Juan Castaño, and Daniel Marmolejo replacing Jaime Alvarado at the 45th minute. Later changes saw Aldair Gutiérrez enter for Fredy Hinestroza and Leonardo Flores take over from Fabián Sambueza at the 70th minute, followed by Brandon Caicedo replacing Emerson Batalla and Jhon Salazar replacing Luciano Pons in the 83rd minute. Efraín Navarro entered for Juan Cuesta at the 90th minute, and Víctor Cantillo replaced Felix Charrupí at the 92nd minute.
The referee issued several yellow cards during the encounter. Helieyker Guzman received a caution at the 33rd minute, Luciano Pons at the 39th minute, Hinestroza at the 44th minute, Fabry Castro at the 76th minute, Diego Novoa at the 76th minute, Javier Tetes at the 88th minute, and Fredy Salazar at the 94th minute.
