Popayán beat Patriotas Boyacá 4-1 in the Clausura's 11th round of Primera B on Friday evening. The hosts moved into the spotlight with a performance that settled the matter early and left little room for the visitors to recover. Two goals from D. Cortes within the first thirteen minutes set the tone, while J. Aponza, J. Riuz and J. Viveros added the rest. By then Patriotas had already been chasing the game and the momentum never shifted back.
Cortes opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a bright start, then doubled it three minutes later. The visitors tried to respond through Aponza's goal in the 33rd, but the equaliser came only two minutes later and did not change the direction of play. To be fair, Patriotas made two substitutions in quick succession at the break, but the game had already been decided in those opening exchanges.
The second half brought Riuz's contribution in the 53rd and Viveros added a fourth in the 58th. Yellow cards for E. Zapata, H. Mosquera, J. Aponza and three unnamed players marked a tense finish, but the result was never in doubt. And here's the thing — Popayán's recent form had been uneven, with defeats to Barranquilla and Bogotá before back-to-back wins, but this was the clearest statement of intent they have made all season.
Popayán sit 12th with 27 points from 24 games, while Patriotas occupy 9th place on 34 points after 25 matches. The hosts have won six, drawn nine and lost nine, whereas the visitors have nine wins, seven draws and nine defeats. The gap between them narrows only slightly with this result, though the quality of performance suggests Popayán are building something real.
The five substitutions — Renteria, Torres, Alvarez, Cuero and Andrade — were mostly tactical adjustments rather than game-changers. Popayán's defense held firm after the early pressure and punished Patriotas' hesitation. Four goals from five different scorers is not just a scoreline; it is a sign of a team finding its rhythm at the right time.
