2023-06-22 05:26:57
21/06/2023
The statistics say that Nacional and Millonarios have faced each other in 285 games with a balance of 108 blue wins, 83 green and 94 draws. However, it was only a few games, and a time, that marked the great rivalry that exists between the two today.
The young purslane winger Samuel Velásquez said well that this is the most important final in recent years for Colombian soccer.
In the early 1980s, both Nacional and Millonarios were looking for ways to wrest dominance in the local League from América de Cali, which won five consecutive titles, from 1982 to 1986.
At that time, the Red Devils had a true South American team, so the greens and blues had to start a process to face the Valle del Cauca team and they bet on two house coaches. Millionaires to Luis Augusto “Chiqui” García and Nacional to Francisco “Pacho” Maturana.
In 1987 the dominance of the capital team came, in which for a year it was superior to the Antioquia cast, which might not find a way to shake off that blue superiority.
However, the turning point happened in the double confrontation of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores in 1989.
Millonarios advanced ahead of Nacional in the group stage, in which they had tied with Verde 1-1 and also beat them 2-0.
So he was the favorite to reach the semifinal, but Nacional was the one who advanced following beating him 1-0 in Medellín and drawing 1-1 in Bogotá, with refereeing by Chilean Hernán Silva, which Millonarios fans questioned.
“Whoever passed between the two had every chance of being the champion of that Cup, they were teams with solid structures and very good players,” recalls coach Pacho Maturana.
While Luis Augusto García had a bitter taste, because until then Millonarios was more than Nacional. “We had a generation of extraordinary players, we would have fought for the title, but well, in football you are always exposed to that and today we see it very often.”
the final three
The first direct final between Atlético Nacional and Millonarios was played in the year 2000 in the third edition of the Merconorte Cup. The first leg was played on November 2 at El Campín and ended with a 0-0 draw. The return was on November 9 at the Atanasio Girardot. That day, with goals from Tressor Moreno and Víctor Aristizábal, Nacional would celebrate the title following beating Millonarios 2-1.
The former green winger, Robinson Martínez, who played that match, remembers that Merconorte was not given much value, but having beaten the ambassador team was very special.
“We knew that the fans lived that rivalry in a special way and that winning the title would be a great satisfaction for them and for us.”
13 years passed before they met once more in another final. It happened in the 2013 Colombia Cup. Nacional, led by Juan Carlos Osorio, drew 2-2 in Bogotá with goals from Sherman Cárdenas and Jéfferson Duque, to later confirm themselves as champions in Medellín, 1-0 thanks to a goal by Juan David Valencia.
Precisely, Valencia indicated that it was one of the best titles he achieved with Nacional during a very winning cycle. “Beating Millonarios is always going to be nice because of what this club means and the rivalry that exists. We were a very united team and that was reflected on the pitch”.
The last final that both played was for Millonarios. It happened in the 2018 Super League. The first leg was played at El Campín and ended goalless, while in Medellín the ambassadors won 2-1 with a brace from Roberto Ovelar. For green marked Andrés Rentería.
So this was the count of the matches that fueled this rivalry, which will have a new chapter starting this Wednesday (8:00 pm) at the Atanasio Girardot stadium and will culminate on Saturday (7:00 pm) in Bogotá with the cry of champion of one of the two campuses.
In a massive caravan, the fans of Atlético Nacional made themselves felt this holiday Monday at the Guarne sports venue. With flags, whistles and chants they encouraged the players and the coaching staff during training. To repay that affection, the green team, which was going to practice on one of the courts furthest from the nets where the people were, decided to do it on the nearest field. The players went to greet the people. The most popular were Jéfferson Duque, Dorlan Pabón, Sebastián Gómez, Jarlan Barrera, Nelson Deossa, goalkeeper Harlen Castillo and Cristian Zapata.
In uncertainty is the participation of Nelson Palacio in this final. The soccer player has everything ready to join Real Salt Lake of the MLS. However, his intention is to do so following the double confrontation with Millonarios. It will be necessary to wait until the last minute to find out if the footballer will be able to take part in both commitments. In that team, Palacio will have two other Colombian players as teammates: Carlos Gómez (ex-Millionaires) and Brayan Vera (ex-América). Nacional will keep a percentage of its sports rights in the event that the North American team decides to make a future sale.
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