The DIM claimed the win with a goal from Emerson Batalla, but in the final seconds, Yorman Zapata leveled the score with a dramatic header, keeping the tie very much alive.
This was the opening leg of the third stage of the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2023, as Magallanes earned a hard-fought draw against Independiente Medellín in El Teniente. The Chilean side began with intense energy, yet their attempts found the stubborn resistance of Marmolejo in goal. As stoppage time approached, Medellín’s control grew, and they seemed to wear down the Academy’s defense.
At the 71st minute, persistence finally paid off for Emerson Batalla, who punished a rebound from Gastón Rodríguez to break the deadlock at Rancagua. Zapata answered back in the dying moments with a precise header, securing a dramatic equalizer after a miscue by Yordy Monroy.
With the aggregate stakes high, the result left the qualification for the continental group stage to be decided in the return leg, scheduled for March 15 at Atanasio Girardot. The loser would drop into the Copa Sudamericana.
Magallanes had reached this stage earlier by delivering a historic 6-1 aggregate win over Always Ready. Independiente Medellín, meanwhile, had eliminated El Nacional with a 4-3 final score. At Rodrigo Paz Delgado, the teams drew 2-2, but in the second leg Medellín turned the momentum in their favor and advanced thanks to goals from Monroy and Diber Cambindo.
The following sections outline the lineups, substitutions, and key moments from the match.
Final whistle drama aside, Magallanes equalized in the last play and kept the tie wide open.
90+4 MAGALLANES GOOOOOOOL! A precise cross from Simón Contreras found Yorman Zapata, who delivered a powerful header to complete a painful, late equalizer.
86:39 It could have been over. Felipe Cadenazzi’s header found the target but missed just wide of the post.
71: GOOOOOOOOOL for DIM! Emerson Batalla seized on a rebound to open the scoring for Medellín.
52: Magallanes almost capitalized as Dani Torres sent a through ball that Luciano could not convert into a goal.
45:1 Felipe Espinoza sent a cross from the left for Thomas Jones, whose header looked destined for the corner until the goalkeeper Mosquera Marmolejo intervened.
42: A sharp block by Miguel Monsalve kept Luciano’s effort from materializing, and Rodríguez cleared the resulting corner kick.
34: A defensive miscue by Christian Vilches left Éver Valencia one-on-one with the keeper, but Gastón Rodríguez made a superb save to deny the goal.
32: Yulian Gómez departed with an injury to his left leg and was replaced by Daniel Londoño for DIM.
25: Julián Alfaro delivered a dangerous cross; Felipe Flores redirected it, and the ball deflected to a corner.
22: A long-range shot from Thomas Aranguiz sailed wide as Magallanes pushed for an opener early on.
8: The Academy mounted pressure again as Julián Alfaro delivered a fine cross, but Yulián Gómez could not convert.
4: Magallanes registered their first attempt, with Thomas Jones shooting from outside the area, a shot that ricocheted off a DIM defender and went out for a corner.
The last time Medellín faced a Chilean side in a CONMEBOL competition was in the 2019 Libertadores, when Palestino eliminated them on penalties in the final stretch.
Magallanes XI: Gastón Rodríguez; Marcelo Filla, Christian Vilches, Fernando Piñero, Felipe Espinoza; Tomás Aránguiz, Carlos Villanueva, César Cortés; Julián Alfaro, Thomas Jones, Felipe Flores.
Independiente Medellín formation: Andrés Mosquera; Jordy Monroy, Víctor Moreno, Andrés Cadavid, Yulian Gómez; Daniel Torres, Andrés Ricaurte; Emerson Batalla, Miguel Monsalve, Ever Valencia; Luciano Pons.
Previous background:
- Magallanes and Independiente Medellín had never met in CONMEBOL matches. The Chilean side had not yet faced Colombian clubs, while Medellín had played Chilean rivals four times (W1, D2, L1).
- For the first time since early 2009, Medellín sought to string together five unbeaten CONMEBOL Libertadores matches.
- Medellín had been unbeaten in three away games in Libertadores, scoring eight goals across those matches (an average of 2.7 per game).
- Magallanes boasted the highest goals per game (3) and the best shot-to-goal percentage (19.4%, 6 of 31) in Libertadores 2023 up to that point.
- Andrés Mosquera of Medellín led the Libertadores 2023 goalkeepers in saves and prevented goals, reflecting the tense nature of this tie.
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