Millonarios win the Copa Colombia 2022

The climax of the Copa is always an exciting part of the football calendar in Colombia, and when Millonarios and Junior met, it was impossible to predict the outcome, given the strengths both sides pack.

The final took place at the El Campín Stadium, Bogotá, Colombia. This stadium’s capacity is currently at 36,343 spectators and is the home stadium of both Millonarios and Independiente Santa Fe.

What is the Copa Colombia?

The Copa Colombia is the national cup competition, and this year 35 sides contested for the trophy. It was the 20th edition of the Copa and the action began in early February 2022. The competition is a double-legged, single elimination format and this sequence is used throughout the tournament, including the final.

Final Leg 1 : Junior v Millonarios

Date: 28th September 2022

Junior 1-0 Millonarios

Haydar 62’

Venue: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla

Final Leg 2 : Millonarios v Junior

Date: 2nd November 2022

Millonarios 2-0 Junior de Barranquilla

Ruiz 18’

Silva 78’

Venue: El Campín Stadium, Bogota, Colombia

Featured players

Head coach Alberto Gamero had to tinker with his team sheet quite regularly this season due to the league and cup commitments, but brought the best out of his players when it mattered the most in the Copa Colombia final.

Here’s how they lined up for that second leg comeback:

Goalkeeper:

Álvaro Montero

Defence:

Juan Pablo Vargas

Andrés Llinás

Omar Bertel

Israel Alba

Midfielders:

Larry Vásquez

David M. Silva (captain)

Daniel Cataño

Forwards:

Daniel Ruiz

Andres Gómez

Luis Carlos Ruiz

The goal scorers will deservingly steal the limelight. As Ruiz and Silva’s goals in the semi finals and final were crucial, but ‘keeper Montero was in sensational form throughout, as his side only conceded five goals in the cup. Captain David Silva hoisted the trophy, but this was a solid team effort from Los Millonarios.

Millonarios’ Road to the final

As is common in cup competitions, the big Division 1 teams join the tournament at a later stage, and Millonarios faced Jaguares de Córdoba in the Round of 16. A first leg 3-0 home victory was enough to see them reach the Quarter Finals unscathed.

A similar pattern unfolded in the quarter final clash against Fortaleza FC, with Millonarios winning the first leg 3-0 at home. The second leg was slightly tougher, as even with Millonarios grabbing 3 goals, Fortaleza fought hard and in the end Millonarioous ran out 2-3 winners.

Leg 1 of the semi final saw Los Albiazules cruise to a 2-0 away victory versus Independiente Medellín, but the second leg was not so straight forward, and it was a game that had everything.

Medellín raced to a 2-0 first half lead, bringing the tie level, and with Juan Carlos Pereira Díaz earning himself an early bath, it was clear, his side had a mountain to climb in the second 45.

It’s often said that these incidents can help galvanise a side and in the second half, Millonarios were simply on a different level. Captain David Silva struck well on the hour mark and when Daniel Ruiz scored the eqalising goal on the 85th minute, the home crowd was sent in ruptures.

It was now 4-2 on aggregate, with a ticket to the final booked.

The Copa Colombia Final 2022

After that intense semi final, Millonarios were ready and hungrier than ever for the final of the Copa Colombia 2022.

Three goals went in over the double legged final and over both legs, home advantaged played a huge part. The first leg went against the narrative, given Junior’s somewhat inconsistent form prior to the final. Millonarios went into the final full of confidence and in good form, but it was a Haydar goal just after the hour mark that made the difference. Junior did well, dug in deep and held on to the victory.

The second leg however was an entirely different story. As Millonaroious got out of the traps faster, Junior could not cope well and Millonarios were awarded a penatly early on. Ruiz kept his cool from the spot and the tie was level overall. Millonarios were the better side throughout the match and that second goal, this time tucked away by Silva in the 78th minute gave Los Albiazules one hand on the trophy. Junior tried to fight on, but not even 7 minutes of injury time would help them get a goal back, and Millonarios were crowned champions much to the elation of the home crowd.

It was their third Copa Colombia and seeing as their last league title came back in 2017, fans can now celebrate while being optimistic about the future.

Millonarios Fan Tokens ($MFC)

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What are Millonarios Fan Tokens? ($MFC)

Millonarios Fan Tokens ($MFC) are your way of getting closer to the Copa Colombia 2022 winners. Fan Tokens offer a chance for fans to get rewarded for their loyalty to their team. They are crypto-based assets, offering a tokenised membership to Los Millonarios via the fan engagement platform Socios.com

Fan Token holder decisions

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