He Junior This Wednesday he won his tenth Colombian league title by defeating 3-5 on penalties against Deportivo Independiente Medellin (DIM), who won the second leg of the Colombian league final 2-1. The Barranquilleros, led by Arturo Reyes, leveled the series with an 89th-minute goal by Vladimir Hernández, sealing the final 2-1 against a rival led by Uruguayan center back scoring. Joaquín Varela and the winger Edwuin Cetre.
Also key to the visitors’ title was Uruguayan goalkeeper Santiago Mele, who saved a penalty in the shootout that won his team the Colombian league. In penalties, Carlos Bacca, Edwin Herrera, Steven Rodríguez, Gabriel Fuentes and Léider Berrío scored for Tiburón. For DIM, Andrés Ricaurte, Luciano Pons and Leyser Chaverra scored goals, and captain Daniel Torres missed.
The ‘Poderoso’ came out to crush their rival, but the first chance came to the Barranquilla team in a game where Luis ‘Cariaco’ González took a shot from the edge of the area asking for goalkeeper Andrés Mosquera Marmolejo.
However, the locals scored their first shot with a corner kick taken by Cetré who, diving from behind, headed the Uruguayan Varela to celebrate wildly with the crowd that filled the Atanasio Girardot stand.
Junior reacted quickly and had one chance after another to tie the game. The first was a cross from ‘Cariaco’ and a header from midfielder Didier Moreno that went close. Then a right hand from scorer Carlos Bacca, with little space, hit the post and the rebound was grabbed by José Enamorado, who took a right hand save by Mosquera Marmolejo. Then, in a deadly counter-attack, winger Déiber Caicedo sent in a cross that Enamorado got over and again blocked the local goalkeeper, to the euphoria of the crowd.
For the second half, DIM went out in search of the second goal driven by the all-rounder Daniel Torres, who now showed himself as the perfect partner for all his teammates in all areas of the field. It was the very post that Cetré turned into a wall to take a low shot from mid-range that deflected off center back Jermein Peña in the 55th minute and into Uruguayan Santiago Mele’s goal for 2-0.
Junior was scared of the score and even Poderoso was about to increase the lead to 63 when the referee disallowed midfielder Yairo Moreno’s goal for being offside. To try to even the series, coach Arturo Reyes sent the experienced Hernández and midfielder Léider Berrío to the field, who had several clashes but failed to give the team clarity.
Everything seemed determined until the 89th minute, Caicedo sent a cross that was finished by Hernández, with a volley, and sent into the back of the net to silence the Atanasio Girardot crowd. In penalties, Junior recorded all their wins and thus secured their tenth title and a place for the 2024 Copa Libertadores.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
