12 of December of 1982, America put in its shield the second star of Colombian Liga, with two dates of anticipation, in front of encopetado Millionaires, in the house of the ambassador equipment.
Eight years later, in 1990, the victim of the ‘Devils’, in the majestic El Campín stadium in Bogotá, would be Independent Santa Fe.
The two titles, of the 14 that America has, came from the hand of doctor Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, who died on August 8 this year, and who, paradoxically, also dressed in glory in Millionaires and Santa Fe.
Bogota has always been seen as the second home of the ‘Devils’, not only because they have won championships there, but because the support of the inflatable in El Campín is massive, with the presence of official bars of the scarlet cast.
This Sunday (6:00 pm), America will have the chance to rise with a new title on the stage of the capital, the star 15, off the coast of Santa Fe, which will surely come out to run over those led by the ‘Argentine Juan Cruz in search of the comeback.
In the first leg, the Americans were above the Santa Fe with a strong and effective game that resulted in a 3-0 on the board, with goals from Yesus Cabrera, Duvan Vergara and Santiago Bru.
This time, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, neither ‘Devils’ nor ‘Cardinals’ will have the breath of the inflatable in El Campín, but both teams will leave everything in the gram in the remaining 90 minutes of this final.
The Tumaqueño Juan Caicedo, author of the goal that gave him the title in America against the Millionaires in 1982, and the Ibaguereño Sergio ‘Checho’ Angulo, architect of both for the championship against Santa Fe in 1990, remember his exploits in El Campín.
“It was my 150th goal and it meant a title”
“Against Santa Fe, in this 1990 championship, we needed two results, the victory or the tie, to win the title. We started winning and then Santa Fe equalized us (1-1), but in the game in general we do not pass greater affugias.
That goal I scored in Santa Fe was very important in my career. It meant my 150th goal as a professional player and, incidentally, the American title.
The paradox of the situation is that I suffered a sprain in the back of my right thigh ripping off the quadrangulars in Bucaramanga, and I was told there was no chance of playing any more in the season.
But I was alone with two goals from Ávila’s ‘Pipa’ -company to the front of America- for the golden booty, and I gave the therapy everything. I had the certainty and faith in God that I was going to get back to keep playing.
Before playing against Santa Fe in El Campín de Bogotá, America faced Nacional in the Pascual, if we won we were champions, but we tied 1-1 and traveled to the capital in search of the title.
On Saturday, prior to the game against Santa Fe, I was given a test and felt a slight discomfort, but I passed. Dr. Gabriel Ochoa gave the order for the collection of penalties in case this situation arose and I was always the first choice.
Jorge ‘Arna’ Da Silva was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. Referee JJ Toro, who was the center of the game, decreed the penalty and I executed it.
The archer was Fernando Hernández, with whom I had been in Santa Fe, and we knew each other perfectly, because we practiced penalties in training. I always charged the archer with my left hand, but this afternoon, knowing he knew me, I decided to give him my right hand, with location, but with a little more strength. The archer threw himself, but did not reach that ball.
Scoring a championship goal in Santa Fe was kind of a weird feeling, because I played there, but I’ve always said it, and I’m convinced of that, the time is right, if you score for a club in what you belonged to, as a professional player you have to sing the goal, it is inevitable to abstain from this happiness.
And in this America I shared with players that I also had as teammates in Santa Fe, cases Eduardo Infant, Jorge Raúl Balbis, Freddy Rincón, I think Wilmer Cabrera had not arrived at that time. This title was the last of the era of Doctor Ochoa in America.
The reception party in Cali was great, it took us eight hours to get from the airport to the Pascual, as at 2:00 in the morning we stepped on the stadium. It was unforgettable. “
“This shoe kick was a gift from God”
“This goal on Sunday, December 12 was a gift from God, as I have always said, because we traveled to Bogota with the hope of beating Millionaires, who were a team, and thanks to the Creator gave us this championship in El Campín.
Bogota is an American square. In the capital there is as much red swelling as in Cali, which is why we always feel that in El Campín we play local. Inflation has always supported us at this stage.
For this game against Millionaires, we came in as leaders and thanks to this shot of mine, which the press described as a “shoe kick” and allowed us to win 1-0, plus other results they gave us, we were able to crown champions with two dates in advance.
It was a goal, really. Damiano, an Argentine left-back who had arrived this season for America, grabbed the ball in the area, I came running, I asked for it and he squirted it for me to hit him with a left-legged shoe from from outside 18 years, no doubt. The ball picked up a lot of speed, Bogota’s height helped him, he got up and got into the right corner of Vivalda, an excellent archer who had Milionaris, who, despite his stretch, did not be able to contain the shot.
And to think I’m right, I don’t know where I got this shoe kick with my left. That was the most important goal of my career and people remind me of it on the street.
This championship was a very nice feat, because when we won the title, the second in America, with two dates in advance, we arrived relaxed to meet the schedule against Esportiu Cali in the Pascual and Junior in Barranquilla.
The joy was immense, especially for doctor Gabriel Ochoa, who did not fit happily in his shirt. I remember that despite his joy he asked us not to go around the Olympics in El Campín, out of respect for Millionaires and the blue fans. He loved this institution very much and made it big.
The arrival in Cali was apotheosis. We returned on Monday in the morning, we all got on the team bus and we were accompanied by a fire engine from the airport to the headquarters of Versailles, where was then the administrative office of America.
Night came and the fans were still on the street celebrating.
This time, in the return match against Santa Fe this Sunday in Bogota, there will be no fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, but America knows how to play in the hands of El Campín, it is a stadium that fits its game of today and I think he will have to go out and do his job without thinking of a result to look for. It is Santa Fe that is bound, but that does not mean that America will give up what it knows how to do as a visitor. He already did his homework in Cali, now he has to complete it in Bogota. And let the star come. “
data
The Millionaires of 1982 had in their payroll to players like Alberto Vivalda, Luis Gil, Germa’n Gutiérrez, Alfonso Lopez, Nolberto Oil mill, Jose Van Tuyne, Jose Eugene Hernandez, Carlos Lopez, Germa’n Morales, Norberto Peluffo, Eduardo Pimentel, Alexander Barberon, Ernesto Díaz, Arnoldo Iguarán and Juanito Moreno.
The America that was crowned champion in 1990 against Independent Santa Fe had, among others players, to Eduardo Boy, Brown Antonio, Jorge Raul Balbis, Alexis Mendoza, Jorge Bermúdez, Wilson Perez, Mario Coll, Alex Escobar, Anthony de Avila , Eduardo Pimentel, Jorge Da Silva, Freddy Rincón and Sergio Angulo.