Independiente Medellin extend their lead in the Colombian Copa Mustang II with a 1-0 victory over Junior, while Atletico Huila returned to winning ways against La Equidad.
Medellin defended their first place against nearest rivals Junior at Atanasio Girardot stadium, where in-form striker Jackson Martinez scored the only goal of the match after 61 minutes.
Samuel Vanegas of Medellin was sent off with a second yellow card in the 81st minute, but was followed by Junior’s Jorge Casanova in the 87th.
Atletico Huila beat La Equidad to move back into second place. The 1-0 win was thanks to a 48th-minute goal from Ivan Velasquez. Gustavo Rojas (Huila) and Ariel Carreno (La Equidad) were sent off later in the second half.
Deportivo Pasto earned a very convincing 5-1 win over Once Caldas. Walden Vargas, Carlos Hidalgo and Ferley Villamil scored in the first half, Hugo Centurion (penalty) and Omar Rodriguez did so in the second. Johan Fano got a consolation goal late on.
Santa Fe remained in sixth place thanks to a 1-1 draw with Deportes Tolima, which could have ended worse for the home side as the ‘Pijaos’ led throughout most of the game thanks to a goal from Wilder Medina in the 29th minute. It was Sergio Otalvaro to save the day for Santa Fe in the 85th minute.
Real Cartagena pushed Cucuta Deportivo deeper into trouble with a 3-2 win. Edwards Jimenez and Geovanni Garcia (2) scored for the hosts, while Harrison Otalvaro and Elvis Gonzalez did so for the visiting side.
Envigado finally secured their first victory of the season, a convincing 3-0 win over Deportes Quindio. Carlos Alvarez and Neider Morantes scored in the first half, after which the latter added another in the second.
Based on the current standings, Medellin, Huila, Pasto, Nacional, Junior, Santa Fe, Pereira and Tolima are on course for a spot in the group stage.