Independiente Medellín arrived with the obligation to beat Defensa y Justicia to maintain the illusion in group A of the Copa Sudamericana and against all odds, the powerful team managed to demonstrate a forceful game that gave them the opportunity to win 2-1.
From minute 1, those led by Alfredo Arias imposed conditions, as Brayan León Muñiz, who managed to take advantage of a header in the area after a cross from Jhon Vásquez and ended up opening the scoring quickly.
That made Medellín maintain the result and keep Defense away, who in the first half did not have enough dangerous approaches, allowing the local team to manage the advantage.
In fact, the second goal came before half an hour and that calmed Medellín, who through Miguel Monsalve, one of the best on the field, took advantage of a good collective play that had León Muñiz once again the protagonist by giving him a pass to the young player so that he could define from the floor.
In the second half the game decreased in dangerous actions for Medellín, but the Argentines increased their intensity to manage to score quickly and hope for a tie.
However, Medellín became strong on the defensive side and did not leave clear opportunities for Defensa, although it was only until the 76th minute that the Argentine team managed to score.
Nicolás Palavecino, who had just entered, ended up finishing with power and above goalkeeper Éder Chaux, who could do nothing to avoid the Argentine’s tremendous shot.
That excited Defensa y Justicia and the pressure was more constant, while Medellín lost offensive volume after the departures of Muñiz and Monsalve, so the plan was to defend that minimal advantage until the end of the game.
Finally, Medellín achieved an important 2-1 victory against a direct rival like Defensa and reached six points, placing it in second position, behind the leader Always Ready, which has 7 points.