Atlético Nacional celebrated a much-needed away victory, breaking a five-match winless streak on the road by defeating Independiente Santa Fe 2-1 in a postponed match from the fifth round of the Liga BetPlay.
The game started challenging for the green team from Antioquia. In the first half, Nacional appeared disconnected, lacking depth and offensive clarity. The Santa Fe goalkeeper remained largely untested as Nacional struggled to find a way through. In sharp contrast, Santa Fe took the lead early; at the 9-minute mark, Ómar Frasica capitalized on a defensive lapse, scoring to ignite excitement among the home fans.
Until that moment, the tactical matchup favored Santa Fe’s coach Pablo Repetto, who was up against his former team, while Nacional’s Diego Arias appeared unable to find answers to threaten the Bogotá goal. Nacional looked constrained, uncomfortable, and without response.
However, the halftime break flipped the script. The green team returned with renewed determination, pushing forward and pressing Santa Fe into their own half. As the home team’s defense began to tire, the equalizer seemed imminent. A contentious moment occurred when Daniel Torres, in an attempt to clear the ball, collided with Juan Manuel Zapata in the area, but the VAR did not intervene.
Justice was served soon after. Close to the 60-minute mark, Milton Casco made a striking run into the box and was brought down again by Torres. This time, there was no doubt; a penalty was awarded. Alfredo Morelos stepped up and, with power, found the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
The equalizer only fueled Nacional’s hunger. Just ten minutes later, Andrés Román delivered a precise pass to Morelos. The “Buffalo” skillfully maneuvered past Andrés Mosquera Marmolejo and finished across the goal to complete the comeback. It was a decisive blow.
With this brace, Morelos notched his 37th goal for Nacional and became the league’s top scorer with six goals in five matches. He also continued to punish Santa Fe, a team he has historically excelled against, having scored five times against them.
The victory reinforced Nacional’s dominance in this matchup, as Santa Fe has not beaten them in league play since July 2017. Since then, the two teams have faced each other 11 times, resulting in five draws and six victories for Nacional.
Towards the end of the match, another controversial moment arose when Santa Fe seemed to have equalized, but the referee ruled out the goal, citing a push by Hugo Rodallega on César Haydar.
With this win, Nacional climbed to second place in the standings while holding two matches in hand, thus bolstering their aspirations for the top spot. Upcoming challenges await them, as they are set to face Deportes Tolima on Sunday followed by a match against Millonarios in the Copa Sudamericana, testing the resilience of a team that has rediscovered its belief away from home.