The team led by Jorge Luis Pinto won by the slightest difference the night before at the ‘Sierra Nevada’ stadium at home, and was placed first in the reclassification with the second game remaining in the grand final of the Promotion Tournament in Villavicencio next Saturday . With this result, the Samarium team is the best option for direct entry into the first category.
Unión Magdalena is 90 minutes away from returning to the first division of Colombian professional football after beating Llaneros 1-0 in the first leg of the tournament’s grand final BetPlay. The match, played in Santa Marta, was decided thanks to a penalty goal by Jannenson Sarmiento, leaving open the series that will be resolved on Saturday, December 14 at the ‘Bello Horizonte Rey Pelé Stadium in Villavicencio’.
The atmosphere in the stadium was hellish, with a full house and dedicated fans who cheered on the ‘Banana Cyclone’ from the first minute. Unión Magdalena took advantage of the support of his fans to take the initiative in the game. In the 15th minute, Agostino Spina came close to opening the scoring with a shot from outside the area that passed very close to the Llaneros goal.
Unión continued to look to extend the lead, and in the 32nd minute they were about to achieve it. BlahNco once again took center stage with a powerful shot that hit the post, keeping the score at 1-0 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Llaneros assumed control of the ball, forcing Unión Magdalena to retreat and defendgive your advantage. The clearest opportunity for the visiting team came in the 60th minute, when Geovan Montes went one-on-one with goalkeeper Johan Wallens, who responded with a great save to keep his goal clean.
Despite Llaneros’ territorial dominance, the team failed to realize its opportunities, and Unión Magdalena resisted the attacks until the final whistle. In the 80th minute, the Samario team had one last chance to increase the lead, but Blanco was unable to define accurately within the rival area.
Everything will be defined in Villavicencio
The second leg is scheduled for Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm at the ‘Bello Horizonte Rey Pelé’ Stadium. There the champion of the BetPlay Tournament will be decided, and the first team promoted to the League for 2025.
The champion of this final will secure their place in the first division. However, there is a possibility that both teams will be promoted if Unión Magdalena becomes champion and Llaneros regains the lead in the reclassification table, currently dominated by the Samario club with a one-point advantage.
This is how the Reclassification was
Reclassification of the Betplay Tournament after Unión Magdalena 1-0 Llaneros FC
1. Unión Magdalena, 89 points
2. Llaneros FC, 88
3. Real Cartagena, 83
4. Atlético Huila, 80
In football, any scenario is possible. If Llaneros beats Unión Magdalena by 2-0 or more, Real Cartagena will play the playoff for promotion against the banana team. Another outcome would be that Unión achieves a victory or draw, which would lead to a playoff between Llaneros and Cartagena.
On the other hand, if Llaneros wins 1-0, it would tie the series with Unión and it would be decided in a penalty shootout. If the team led by Pedro De Pablos is crowned champion from the penalty spot, there would be a playoff between Real Cartagena and the ‘Ciclón’.
The only result that would favor both Unión Magdalena and Llaneros would be a 1-0 victory for Llaneros, followed by a victory for Unión in the penalty shootout, which would eliminate the possibility of a playoff.