Independiente Medellín and Junior de Barranquilla faced off at the Metropolitano de Ditaires for the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa BetPlay, in a match that had to be moved forward because Alejandro Restrepo’s team needs to play a Sudamericana match next week.
It is worth mentioning that both teams arrived at this round of 16 after qualifying directly for having played international competitions in the first semester.
The duel started evenly between the Antioquians and the sharks, remembering that both were seeking to gain an advantage to lead them to the quarter-finals of the tournament, however, the match was impacted by several injuries to Alejandro Restrepo’s team, as they suffered the losses of Joaquín Varela and Diego Gómez.
Beyond those two absences that the powerful team suffered in the initial period, Medellín managed to impose itself in the first minutes of the second half and achieved the first goal of the match. A long shot from Luis Sandoval ended in a deflection that Junior’s goalkeeper, Jefferson Martínez, could not stop. Marking the inexorable ‘Law of the Ex’.
This emotional boost that Medellín received from the first goal would come minutes later, when Baldomero Perlaza scored the second goal for the powerful team, after receiving a pass from Luis Sandoval in the area and the midfielder simply pushed the ball into the net.
In this way, Medellín would take the three points and a comfortable advantage for the return match that will be held at the Metropolitano de Barranquilla. It should be noted that this match still does not have a date for the round of 16 of the Copa BetPlay.