Atlético Nacional, from Medellín, were crowned champions of the Liga Dimayor 2022 on Sunday night, beating Deportes Tolima 4-3 on aggregate.
The first match was played earlier last week in Medellín. The visitors took the lead in the tie, with Plata pouncing first to a corner. Just on the stroke of half-time, Banguero responded for Nacional, levelling the game at 1-1.
Nacional were very effective in the second half. Candelo’s strike from inside his own half was an epic goal to put Nacional ahead. In the final minutes of the game, Tolima took more and more risks to attempt and equaliser – which they would come to regret. A counter-attacking move from the home side saw Andrade finish inside the area and take a two goal advantage back to Tolima for the second leg.
📈 Some numbers from an impressive night for @nacionaloficial:
🟢 56% possession
🟢 19 attempts on goal
🟢 6 shots on target
🟢 368 passes completed
🟢 12 tackles#LigaDimayor | #AtleticoNacional https://t.co/cMXHiNgLwf— The Playbook (@genius_playbook) June 23, 2022
Heading into the final…
Recent records were on Tolima’s side. Of the last 16 matches, Nacional has won just three, including the away match 3-1 in Medellín. At the end of the regular season, the battle was between Tolima and Millonarios.
The end regular season was a fight between Tolima and Millonarios. In fact, Nacional ended the regular season without a win in their last five matches.
But they picked up form in the quadrangular, returning to winning ways with three wins and three draws – topping Group A.
Last dance in Tolima
The capital of Colombia’s music scene, Ibague, was ready to host Tolima’s third final in the last three tournaments. They had won and lost one final each, to Millonarios and Deportivo Cali. But this game was a repeat of the 2018 final, in which Tolima defeated Nacional 4-2 on penalties.
Tolima hit back twice in the first half. An own goal by Oliveira at minute 18 started the party for the vinotinto y oro. Just 20 minutes later, Caicedo leapt into the air and headed a ball from a far distance to level the aggregate score at 3-3.
In the second half Tolima had the same energy. At minute 56, Cataño had the chance to secure the title from the penalty spot, but Nacional goalkeeper Mier stepped up and saved it. In response, he ran towards the away goal keeper and committed a foul. The referee had no choice but to send him off.
With one more player, Nacional created more situations. In dramatic fashion, Jarlan Barrera stepped up to become the game-winner for Nacional. His 95th minute header stunned the Tolima crowd.
After five years without a trophy, Atlético Nacional were crowned champions of Colombia for the 17th time in their history.
🏆 Máximos campeones de la liga colombiana:
1⃣7⃣ Atlético Nacional. 🔺
1⃣6⃣
1⃣5⃣ Millonarios y América. pic.twitter.com/kSx3pUWOr9— Colombia Analytics (@Colanalytics) June 27, 2022
Man of the match
Nacional goalkeeper Kevin Mier did not only save his team from going behind in the second half, but he also initiated the counter-attack that resulted in Nacional’s third goal in the first leg.
He conceded just 0.6 goals per match in 2022, the best in the tournament. Mier also held third place in terms of clean sheets (11), after Millonarios (15) and Tolima (14).
🏆 Kevin Mier (2000) finaliza la #LigaBetplay 2022-I como el portero con mayor eficacia de atajadas [85%] y el portero con más atajadas [86] junto a Juan Camilo Chaverra.
Además, es el portero con menos goles recibidos P90 [0.6] junto a W. Cuesta y A. Montero. 🔝
Revelación. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/jMRWZjkoZa
— Colombia Analytics (@Colanalytics) June 27, 2022
2022’s stand-out performers
While Mier picked up the plaudits in the final, two other players stood out in this years’ Dimayor season.
Young Millonarios midfielder Daniel Ruiz was probably their best player all season. Not only did he provide four goals, but he also provided four penalties and picked up two assists. His 758 passes, with a precision of 77.6%, was one of the highest tallies in the league.
Dayro Moreno, of Bucaramanga, also deserves praise. He ended up as the overall top scorer, with 13 goals and two assists.
#Deportes⚽| ¡Buena esa! Colombia tiene goleador y es jugador del Atlético Bucaramanga.
Dayro Moreno es el máximo anotador del fútbol profesional colombiano🥅🔰 pic.twitter.com/3F4n0ouVng
— Caracol Bucaramanga (@CaracolBga) June 27, 2022
Despite the dramatic end to the season, there is no respite, as the Clausura tournament begins this coming weekend. You can follow our coverage and analysis of one of Latin America’s most exciting leagues here.
