Cuándo se jugará la vuelta de la final de la Liga BetPlay: Junior y Tolima definirán al campeón

The Liga BetPlay final made its first appearance at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla, where fans created a festive atmosphere in the stands as Junior and Deportes Tolima kicked off their battle for the second-semester title.

All eyes are now on the second leg, where Dimayor will crown the new champion of Colombian football, replacing Santa Fe, and also grant a spot in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, along with the Cardenales, as stipulated by the tournament regulations.

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On another note, the final spots for the Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana will be determined, as the club that wins the title will affect the reclassification table, and it will also occur the day before the Copa Colombia winner is announced.

There were many emotions in the first 90 minutes of the series, where Alfredo Arias’s team struck first, taking advantage of their home ground and outplaying the ibaguereños, who lost control from the first minute and left empty-handed.

The return leg of the Liga BetPlay final is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, at 7:30 p.m., an unusual date for such definitions, but Dimayor explained that it was decided to present the Colombian clubs in the Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana draw on Thursday, December 18.

This match will take place at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium in Ibagué, which has a capacity of 28,100 people, and the club is continuing ticket sales, hoping to fill all seats to turn the series around and claim their fourth star.

A strong security and logistics scheme is also expected, from the mayor’s office of Ibagué and Deportes Tolima, and no visiting fans will be allowed in any stands to avoid disturbances or issues during the title celebration.

Dimayor will also use the special ball from the brand Golty, which was introduced during the first leg in Barranquilla, and will play the new anthem of the organization during the ceremonial acts, as part of the celebration for the Colombian football final, adding a unique touch to the series.

Junior de Barranquilla showed no mercy towards Deportes Tolima, leveraging all their offensive capabilities to defeat the visitors 3-0 at the Metropolitano stadium, finishing with one player more due to Sebastián Guzmán’s expulsion, which left the series almost settled.

The action started just five minutes in when Guillermo Paiva sent a long pass to the right side for José Enamorado, who entered the area, left two defenders on the ground and shot to the right post, surprising the pijaos, who also had to deal with the smoke from the pyrotechnics.

The second goal came from Bryan Castrillón, following a great play where he received the ball from Paiva at the 36th minute, and just two minutes later, the third came from Enamorado, assisted by Didier Moreno behind the defenders, allowing the winger a clear shot on Neto Volpi.

In the second half, Sebastián Guzmán worsened Tolima’s situation with his expulsion after headbutting Teófilo Gutiérrez in the face, and referee Carlos Betancur had no hesitation in showing the red card.