Total Soccer - Equipo Azul 2-1 (0-0)
J. Córdoba 83', Fierro 90'+6' - Jiménez 69'.
In the first leg: 1-2. On aggregate: 3-3. Total Soccer won 5-4 at penalty shoot-outs. J. Córdoba, García, Morón, Fierro and Gutiérrez scored for Total Soccer, while Aragón, Carranza, Estrada and Pérez scored for Equipo Azul; Venecia missed the only penalty in the series, as the fourth one to execute for Equipo Azul.
Saturday, 10 December 2022, 2 pm local time (7 pm UTC), Marte #1 Stadium, Unidad Deportiva Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, 2nd leg of the Colombian Primera C final.
Total Soccer, champions of the 2022 Colombian Primera C. Photo source: capsulas.com.co
Total Soccer made history by becoming champions of the Colombian Primera C, at their first ever participation in this competition, the highest level possible in Colombian amateur football.
The match was dramatic and had a similar development to the one played a week ago, in the first leg, in Valledupar, the home of Equipo Azul. In the first leg, Total Soccer scored first, but Equipo Azul turned the game in their favour and eventually won 2-1. However, all goals were scored in the first half, in contrast to what happened in Medellín, where all goals were scored in the second half.
Total Soccer starting line-up. Photo source: capsulas.com.co
Equipo Azul starting line-up. Photo source: capsulas.com.co
This time, Equipo Azul scored first, by means of Jiménez, with a spectacular very long-range shot which surprised the goalkeeper William Fierro: 0-1 (69'). However, Total Soccer risked everything in the final minutes and succeeded to come back in the game, equalizing by Córdoba, whose shot from inside the box went in after a cross: 1-1 (83'). Then Total Soccer scored the winning goal in the last minute of stoppage time, when goalkeeper William Fierro transformed a penalty for Total Soccer: 2-1 (90'+6').
Given that the aggregate score was 3-3, penalty shoot-outs had to be executed to decide the winner of the competition. Total Soccer players transformed all five penalties, while Equipo Azul missed one, and therefore Total Soccer won 5-4 at penalties and were crowned champions of the Colombian Primera C.
It is also interesting to note that the title remains in Antioquia, as last year (2021) champions, Filipenses of Turbo (now Turbo FC), are also from the Department of Antioquia.
Total Soccer: Fierro - J. Avendaño, Gutiérrez, Sepúlveda, J. D. Mosquera - Arboleda (S. Avendaño 73'), J. García - Morón, J. Herrera, J. E. Mosquera (D. Córdoba 82') - J. Martínez (J. Córdoba 47'). Manager: Juan Gabriel Sepúlveda.
Equipo Azul: Murcia - Venecia, Calderón, Aragón, Carranza - Osorio, Padilla, O. Pérez - Ucros (Orozco 86'), Arrieta (Estrada 79'), Jiménez (G. Córdoba 75'). Manager: Ildefonso Pitre.
Referee: Juan Camilo Mejía.
This is the first trophy won by Total Soccer, after they were close to win the Antioquia Football League - Primera A in 2021, finishing then as runners-up.
Unfortunately, the winners of the Colombian Primera C do not have the right to promote to the professional Primera B, at least as yet. Discussions between DIMAYOR (responsible for professional football in Colombia) and DIFUTBOL (responsible for amateur football in Colombia) reached no conclusions so far, and the professional and amateur competitions are still completely separated at senior levels, while the Colombian Football Federation seems not to be able to moderate a positive change in this respect.
Apart from honour and glory, Total Soccer also received quite an impressive amount of money for their performance, which will at least compensate for the costs of travelling the entire country in the knock-out rounds of the competition.
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