Rionegro Aguilas played out a 2-2 draw with Deportivo Pereira in the Clausura round 11 of the First Division A at the Estadio Alberto Grisales on Thursday evening. The result keeps the hosts in 12th place with 26 points from 19 matches, while the visitors remain rooted at the bottom of the table in 20th position with just 10 points.
Fabián Suárez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before VAR confirmed the goal two minutes later, giving Rionegro Aguilas a lead they would not hold for long. Deportivo Pereira responded through Jhon Largacha in the 69th minute, and Anthony Vásquez restored the home side's advantage with a goal in the 71st. Danilo Ortiz then found the net in the 90th minute to salvage a point for the visitors.
There was plenty of friction throughout the contest, with yellow cards accumulating at both ends. Jorge Bermúdez and Sebastián Urrea Arbeláez were booked early on, while Rionegro Aguilas saw three yellows come their way in the second half. The visitors collected six cards in total, including doubles for Javier Alexander Mena and Walmer Pacheco, suggesting the game grew increasingly tense as the clock ran down.
Rionegro Aguilas controlled 55 percent of possession and completed 277 passes compared to 214 for the visitors. They registered 58 attacks to 43 but managed only six shots on target against seven for Deportivo Pereira. Both sides registered identical expected goals figures of 0.97, though the visitors showed slightly better shooting accuracy at 64 percent to 50 percent.
The hosts had been winless in five league matches before this game, drawing twice with La Equidad and Chaco, and picking up two further draws against Millonarios and Llaneros. Deportivo Pereira entered the fixture with a poorer run of form, having lost four of their previous five outings, with only a 1-1 draw against Millonarios offering any respite from the defeats.
And here's the thing about a draw like this — both teams leave with a point, but the context could not be more different. Rionegro Aguilas continue to hover in the middle of the table, while Deportivo Pereira remain in the relegation zone with just 10 points from 19 games. The gap between them is now 16 points, and that is going to make things increasingly difficult for the visitors.
