Deportivo Pereira and La Equidad played out a goalless draw in the Clausura - 12 round of the Primera A on Saturday evening. The result leaves both sides with a point each after 90 minutes of rather cagey football. We had tipped the hosts to win, though that 42 per cent confidence proved misplaced.
Yulian Gomez came on for Pereira at the start of the second half, but the game remained tightly contested. Diego Duarte picked up a yellow card for the visitors in the 19th minute, and the tension built from there. By then the match had settled into a rhythm of careful defending.
La Equidad made two changes at the break, bringing on Johan Caballero and Facundo Boné. Pereira responded with a substitution of their own, removing Jhon Alexander Montoya after his earlier booking. The game opened up slightly after the restart, but chances remained thin.
The yellow cards kept coming as the match wore on. Anderson Plata, Ederson Moreno, Yojan Garces and a cluster of visitors near the end all found themselves on the receiving end of the referee's attention. Pereira made several more changes in the final quarter, trying to find something.
Deportivo held 52 per cent possession but their three shots on target failed to trouble the La Equidad goalkeeper. The visitors were less efficient, hitting the target three times from 12 attempts. Five corners for the hosts against four for the visitors told the story of a game played mostly in the middle third.
The result keeps Pereira rooted at the foot of the table with just 10 points from 19 games. La Equidity move up to eighth place, ten points clear of the relegation zone. Neither side's recent form suggests a quick turnaround, though.
