Trujillanos turn the screw on Sapoá with late penalty winner
Sapoá hosted Trujillanos in the Clausura's ninth round on September 13th, and the visitors claimed a 2:1 victory that shifted the momentum between two sides sitting close in the table. By then, the home side had built something, but Trujillanos took it when it mattered. The result leaves Sapoá on 25 points in 10th place and Trujillanos on 14 from 23 games in 13th.
Sapoá started with the edge, and the first signs appeared early. Richard Celis picked up a yellow card at 22 minutes, and Cristian Diaz followed at 37, but the home side kept possession and pushed forward. Marco Bustillo broke the deadlock at 55, slotting home what looked like the opening goal. To be fair, Trujillanos had already shown they could respond — Manuel Granados had been booked at 33, and Jose Luis Granados at 50, but the discipline didn't cost them a lead.
The game turned after the break, and suddenly Sapoá were chasing. Franklin González equalised at 57 minutes, just one minute after his own replacement Abreu Enderson came on. The home side made changes at 62, bringing off both Celis and Diaz, trying to regain control. But then came the penalty at 85, and Junior Paredes made no mistake. That one moment changed everything — we had backed Sapoá at 63 per cent confidence, but the visitors took their chance and the prediction went cold.
The statistics tell a story of two sides with similar numbers but different outcomes. Both teams held 50 per cent possession, but Trujillanos shot more accurately with five on target compared to Sapoá's four. The home side created one big chance like their opponents, yet could only convert half of their shots on target while the visitors found the net twice. Sapoá attempted 26 crosses against 22, but neither side could turn those deliveries into clear-cut opportunities.
For Sapoá, this is a setback after a run that included back-to-back wins against Real Frontera. They had drawn with Portuguesa and held Carabobo to 0:0, but the loss to Deportivo Táchira at 2:5 showed vulnerability. Trujillanos have not won since beating Monagas 3:1 on August 30th, and this result breaks that pattern. They lost to Deportivo Lara, Caracas and Metropolitanos in their previous three outings, so the victory provides a lift.
The gap between the sides narrows slightly, though the points difference remains nine. Trujillanos have plenty of games left to climb, and this performance suggests they can compete with anyone at this level. Sapoá now need to respond — they have the deeper squad and the home advantage, but they also have a record to improve. The old head settled them down in the first half, but the second half belonged to the visitors.