Thirty -two years later, Atanasio Girardot will witness a new chapter in the rivalry between Atlético Nacional de Colombia and International of Brazil for the prestigious Copa Libertadores. This Thursday, May 8 (7:30 p.m.. This meeting is a definitive pulse in the aspirations of the Verdolaga team for advancing to the next phase of the contest organized by Conmebol.
Football memory transports us to moments of glory. And in the prelude to this transcendental confrontation for the green club, the fans await with expectation to calibrate the hierarchy of the Paisa team, urged of a victory after the painful 3-0 suffered in Porto Alegre.
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This time we will not talk about David Ospina, William Tesillo, Jorman Campuzano, Edwin Cardona, Alfredo Morelos and Marino Hnestroza, the figures that today wear the Verdolaga shirt. The nostalgic look is directed to the heroes of yesteryear, those who remained in the club after the conquest of the first Copa Libertadores in 1989, as the blessed Fajardo, one of its protagonists, remembers it.
The only antecedent of clashes between Atlético Nacional and International in the capital of Antioquia dates back to March 26, 1993a duel that culminated without goals. That night, 16,816 souls gathered at Atanasio Girardot, leaving a box office of $ 41,485,100. Ecuadorian Jorge Orellana gave justice in the countryside, according to the records of the National Atlético Book, 50 years of Gloria, by Carlos Emilio Serna Serna.
Who were the protagonists?
That national, under the baton of Hernán Darío “Bolillo” Gómez, aligned Franco Óman in the goal; A solid defense with Luis Fernando Herrera, John Caicedo, Víctor Marulanda and José Fernando Santa; In the midfield, Alirio Serna, Luis Alfonso Fajardo (Diego Osorio), together with the remembered Herman Gaviria (replaced by Julián Vásquez), Gabriel Jaime Gómez and the intelligence of Alexis García; And in Punta, Carlos A. Zúñiga.
The International, on the other hand, presented Roberto Fernández under the three sticks; a rear composed of Pinga, Ricardo, Daniel Franco and Celio Lino; in the middle, Elson, Simão, the creative fall and the talent of Marquinho; And in attack, the duo formed by Rudinei and Barón, led by Enio Andrade.
René Higuita, a key figure in the first leg played in Brazil on March 16, where the greens raised with the 1-0 victory thanks to the goal of Víctor Aristizábal (minute 82), could not be of the game In Medellín. Days before the revenge, an unfortunate fracture of warm in a clash with Ramón Moreno del Quindío, for the local league, marginalized him from the crucial meeting.
One of the protagonists speaks
Víctor Marulanda, defender who years later would preside over the club, evokes those two duels clearly: “The payroll our conjugated the experience of the 89 champions with the freshness of young people. I think the ‘Bolillo’ achieved a perfect amalgam, and those results were vital to consolidate the national brand as the team with the greatest recognition in Colombia and project it to the world.”
He adds that the triumph in Brazil and the draw at home gave them the necessary impulse to continue advancing in the competition. “It was a very cool moment, because we had a highly competitive payroll.”
That confrontation against International sealed the fate of Group 4, which saw the Flamengo of Brazil as a leader, followed by Atlético Nacional and América de Cali, both with 7 points, classifying the next round. Inter, with 3 units, was eliminated.
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To resolve the second and third place between green and scarlets, Conmebol scheduled a tiebreaker match at the El Campín de Bogotá stadium, where America won 4-2 against 38,220 spectators. In this way, the Paisa team ended in the third position, which matched it in the round of 16 with the Catholic University of Chile, which eliminated it after beating it 2-0 in its fief and falling 2-1 in Medellín.
The Austral Club continued its way in the semifinals, leaving America on the way and winning the right to dispute the 1993 Copa Libertadores Copa, whose maximum award raised the Sao Paulo.
One day from this new clash between national and international in the mountain capital, the Verdolaga heart clings to history, trusting that, like thirty -two years ago, your team will keep the flame in the most prestigious club tournament in South America.
