He Junior from Barranquilla won its eleventh Colombian league title by beating 1-0 Sports Tolima in the second leg of the tournament final Closingto finish the series with a 0-4 overall.
The Barranquilla team, led by the Uruguayan Alfredo Ariastook the victory with a goal from the winger José Enamoradowho had already scored two goals in the first leg, and celebrated a new league title at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium, which also grants them a direct place in the group stage of the Libertadores Cup.
Coach Arias, for his part, won his first title in Colombia after having been runner-up in 2023 with the Deportivo Independiente Medellin and have steps remembered in Deportivo Cali and Independiente Santa Fe.
With three goals to come back, the Tolima He came out looking for the first goal very quickly and had two opportunities in the first minutes, the first with a corner kick taken by midfielder Brayan Rovira, which demanded the Uruguayan goalkeeper Mauro Silveiraand a shot in the area by winger Jersson González, which was cleared by the midfielder Didier Moreno. However, in their eagerness to attack the hosts left many spaces for the counterattack that the Junior He began to take advantage.
The first clear opportunity for the visitors came in the eighth minute when the winger Bryan Castrillon He was hand in hand with the Uruguayan goalkeeper Cristopher Fiermarin, that prevailed and prevented the attacker from celebrating.
The only goal of the game came in the 15th minute in another lethal counterattack in which the midfielder Yimmi Chará leaked a pass for In lovewho was faster than the local central defenders and scored the ball to overcome the resistance of Fiermarin. Those led by Arias They managed the ball and with it the difference against an opponent who was petrified with the goal In love.
However, the hosts took a breather in the 41st minute when the Paraguayan attacker Guillermo Paiva He attacked the Tolima central defender Marlon Torres and the referee Andres Rojas expelled him. Tolima attacked again and was about to score in the 41st minute with a shot from the midfielder Kevin Perezwhich shortened Silveiraand another on the side Samuel Velasquez that went astray.
For the second half, the game maintained the tone and the Tolima had his clearest opportunity at 61 when Velasquezwho was another attacker today, took a very strong shot that hit the post.
As the minutes passed, the locals lost momentum, the visitors managed, under the leadership of the veteran Teofilo Gutierrez who entered at minute 64, and the Junior from Barranquilla celebrated a new league title, won with great authority after dominating the two games of the series.