Santiago Wanderers and Cobreloa drew 2-2 in the first leg of the promotion playoff quarterfinals, played in Valparaíso. The tie leaves the series open for the return match in Calama. Both teams showed parity in a match with exciting goals and one disallowed by VAR.
The clash between Santiago Wanderers and Cobreloa, two clubs with a rich history in Chilean football, kicked off the quarterfinal tie in the promotion playoff this Wednesday in Valparaíso. Wanderers, who finished eighth in the general table with 23 points as hosts in 15 matches (mostly in Quillota), faced Cobreloa, third in the regular season and with 19 points as visitors in 15 games.
The first half was balanced, with Cobreloa slightly more incisive thanks to Álex Valdés on the left. At minute 36, goalkeeper Eduardo Miranda stopped a deflected shot, and Leandro Navarro's header went just wide. Just before halftime, in the 45'+2, Ethan Espinoza opened the scoring for Wanderers with a left-footed shot after a pass from Jorge Luna, making it 1-0.
The second half was more lively. At 50', Álex Valdés equalized 1-1 for Cobreloa, arriving at the far post. At 61', an own goal by Gerardo Navarrete (after a poor clearance by goalkeeper Hugo Araya on a corner) put Wanderers 2-1 up. In the 72', Iván Ledezma scored for Cobreloa, but VAR disallowed it for offside. Finally, at 79', Agustín Heredia headed the 2-2 equalizer.
Yellow cards went to Patricio Romero (24'), Carlos Ponce (38'), Sergio Felipe (45'+3'), Gerardo Navarrete (59'), Jorge Luna (81'), and Agustín Heredia (83'). Wanderers coach César Bravo rearranged the defense with Patricio Romero replacing captain Rodolfo González, who was injured during warm-up.
The return leg will be played this Sunday at 18:00 in Calama's Zorros del Desierto Stadium. If the porteños advance, they will face Copiapó in the semifinals; if the naranjas progress, it depends on the other ties.