Millonarios choke in knock outs
For the second season in a row, none of the Bogotá teams will be in the league final, even though they performed relatively well during the first stages of the competition. Millonarios finished second in the league stage largely down to striker Dayro Moreno, the tournament’s top goal scorer.
Despite their good performance, the following playoffs proved an unexpectedly difficult struggle. A tight 1-0 win in the quarterfinal against La Equidad, seemed to promise an easy second leg.
But at El Campin the Millonarios team was only able to secure a narrow 1-1 draw, just enough to seal its ticket to the semi-final against Junior from Barranquilla.
A hard-fought 0-0 in the heat of Barranquilla was a good result in the tie’s first leg but another scoreless draw in Bogotá led to penalty kicks – and turned fatal for Millonarios, as Junior won 5-4. Just like last season, Millonarios leaned on 37-year-old playmaker Mayer Candelo and striker Moreno for goals.
During the regular season both had a vital role in Millonarios’ fairly easy campaign to reach the knockout rounds. But in the playoffs neither one of them hit form, leaving the Barranquilleros to dispute the final.