Cartagena
A match to remember, albeit for all the wrong reasons, saw Real Cartagena suffer a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cúcuta Deportivo at the General Santander stadium in the capital of Norte de Santander. Olympic medalist Ángel Barajas was in attendance to perform the ceremonial kick.
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The home team started the match with purpose, creating several early opportunities. In the 3rd minute, Cristian Córdoba almost opened the scoring with a shot that sailed over the crossbar.
Controversy struck in the 5th minute when a goal for Real Cartagena was disallowed due to an alleged offside by Germán Triana.
As the first half progressed, Real Cartagena began to assert themselves, with Miguel Murillo, Michael Covea, and Wilfrido de la Rosa combining effectively in the attacking third. However, they were unable to find a way past the resolute Cúcuta defense.
The second half saw changes for Real Cartagena, with Jhon Valencia and Yosimarc Torres replacing Miguel Murillo and Darwin Palomeque.
Cúcuta Deportivo broke the deadlock in the 57th minute with a stunning header from Agustín Cano. Two minutes later, Juan Rueda added a second goal for the visitors with a shot from the edge of the area.
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Juan José ‘El Pitillo’ Salcedo scored for Real Cartagena, netting his first goal in the Betplay Tournament since his arrival in the second semester.
The Cartagena team finished the match with 10 men following the expulsion of Venezuelan center-back Diego Osío in the 91st minute. Real Cartagena currently sits in tenth place in the standings with four points from nine possible.
Their next match is on Tuesday, August 13, when they travel to face Bogotá FC.