Atlético Bucaramanga is the new champion of the BetPlay League. Rafael Dudamel’s team defeated Independiente Santa Fe from the penalty spot (5-6) and wrote their name in golden letters in the history of Colombian professional soccer. First star for the Santander team in 75 years.
Santa Fe managed to come back and take the series to the penalty point charges where Agustín Rodríguez and Julián Millán failed to help Bucaramanga win its first title. Leonardo Flores missed the fourth charge for Leopardo, but Millán’s definition and Aldair Quintana’s save in the sixth charge allowed Dudamel’s team to turn around in El Campín.
“Speechless. Give the title to Bucaramanga, remain in the history of the team. I am speechless. Thank God, life, my family… “I have had to live through difficult times and today life and God are rewarding me,” Aldair stated in dialogue with Win Sports. The goalkeeper also added how they had prepared the charges from the penalty spot, “With teacher (Jorge) Rayo we took on the task of analyzing the kickers. In these definitive instances it is intuition. Luckily I was able to guess two penalties that served for the title.”
Sambueza celebrates the title and apologizes to Santa Fe
Fabián Sambueza was one of the figures of Atlético Bucaramanga throughout the semester, the midfielder who had an important and memorable time at Independiente Santa Fe was essential in the Santander team’s first title. “We are happy, I think we suffered too much, a match that we already had under control and in the end it got out of hand, but hey, God wanted it to be like this. “And we leave happy because we came out champions on a difficult field against a great rival,” he assured.
How did you experience the penalties?: “Everything was cramping, my gluteus cramped, imagine how much I was shaking. So, well, happy.”
Offers apologies to Santa Fe: “I have nothing against the people of Santa Fe. It is a club that I tried to give all the best of my life to. People don’t like me, I don’t know why, but hey, I want to publicly apologize to him (President Eduardo Méndez), to the people. And also thank all the people from Bucaramanga who come and who are happy.”
How do you rate this moment in your career?: “It is not the same when you arrive at a big club like Santa Fe, like Junior, Cali. They are clubs that are preparing to fight, to go to the finals. We have fought with a lot of effort, we have fought in football, in the team’s performance. And the truth is that we are happy because we felt that this was the moment and that we could not let it pass. So we also send greetings to all the people of Bucaramanga who were able to come to us due to the ailments at the stadium.”
Fabry Castro and a penalty that means a title
The 32-year-old took the seventh penalty in the shootout. An inside edge shot hit the right post by Mosquera Marmolejo to end the series and hope that Julián Millán missed. “A title is not given every day, it is very difficultmore in our League, “75 years of history, I had not achieved this, being able to get here and do it in six months is something impressive.”
Congratulations on the title: “Grateful to God, first I honor Him, I glorify Him, without Him it would not have been possible, and grateful to life, for coming across such great human beings as the companions we have. Happy, the truth is that it is still going to be difficult to assimilate it because of course…, we are champions and I say it, I can already say it, and it seems as if it were a lie.”
His hug with Rafael Dudamel: “I was just telling him, he has given me confidence, I have had coaches who have given me confidence, but the one he gave me has been different, it has been special and it is strange because he doesn’t need to tell me much, we talk about what we have to.” to speak, but with his actions, with a look, we understand each other and it is something like that that has been built very quickly, in six months, it is a sign of affection, affection and the mutual respect that we have for each other.”
Title dedication: “Greeting my wife here in the stadium, my daughter here in the city, my father, my mother, they are in Cali, they have suffered a lot, because I returned to the country after 15 years and they had to endure how their son was ignored, how they spoke badly of him, and everyone who knows me about the professional that I have been, may they enjoy it back home and feel proud, that they have a professional son, dedicated and worthy of this profession.”
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