Junior and Santa Fe starred in the match of date 8 of Liga BetPlay 2024-II, with the Barranquilla team being the one in greater need due to the complex situation in the league. However, they did not expect that the Cardinals were determined to take a victory from the Metropolitano. In the end, everything ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Shark continues to struggle.
The match between both teams was quite even, and the goal-scoring opportunities were not very clear, but Santa Fe was the one applying more pressure to open the scoring.
This good intensity from Santa Fe ended up being rewarded, as at 27 minutes into the game, the first goal of the match came from a left-footed shot by Edwar López, who took advantage of an assist from Hugo Rodallega, who set him up with a through pass following a strong counterattack.
From that point on, Santa Fe settled better into the game and played with Junior’s need, who could not find the right path to equalize.
Despite Junior’s attempts with several shots that lacked good finishing, Pablo Peirano’s side managed to maintain their minimal advantage until the end of the first half.
In the second half, Santa Fe suffered a red card for the goal scorer Edwar López early on after a foul on Yimmi Chará, which considerably affected Pablo Peirano’s plans.
Santa Fe figured they could hold onto the narrow lead for the rest of the match, so they decided to defend and give Junior the opportunity to have the ball, but Arturo Reyes’s team never found clear ideas.
Junior had a lot of difficulty approaching Santa Fe effectively and seemed at a loss on how to equalize; in fact, the entire Shark team was getting desperate from not finding the right path.
Despite this, at 79 minutes, a penalty was awarded to Junior after a foul by Ómar Albornoz on José Enamorado, being the only way to achieve equality.
Steven ‘Titi’ Rodríguez was in charge of converting the penalty into a goal, sending it accurately alongside the left post, leaving goalkeeper Juan Espitia with no chance to reach the ball. Additionally, the keeper received a yellow card before the penalty for not obeying the referee’s orders.
From that point on, Junior gained new life in the match and began to arrive more frequently, creating chances through Carlos Bacca, but their lack of finishing took its toll.