In a match that delivered on every measure of late-season drama, Deportivo Pasto and Alianza Petrolera fought to an extraordinary 3-3 draw Sunday night at the Estadio Departamental Libertad. Despite Pasto’s two-goal cushion early in the second half, a relentless Alianza side—led by Carlos Lucumí—staged a remarkable comeback, culminating in Lucumí’s penalty conversion deep into stoppage time.

From the opening whistle, the stakes felt urgent. Pasto, hoping to consolidate their position in the upper tier of the Clausura standings, started with intensity and purpose. Their efforts were rewarded in the 17th minute, when Miguel S. Jiménez latched onto a loose ball just inside the area and swept a composed finish beyond the outstretched arm of Alianza goalkeeper, Ricardo Jerez. The crowd, energized by the early breakthrough, was soon celebrating again. In the 32nd minute, Fabián Bone doubled the lead after an incisive run by Michael Castaño, whose delivery left Bone with a simple task from close range.

Alianza responded in fits and starts, their attacks often blunted by Pasto’s high pressing, but the complexion of the match shifted on the cusp of halftime. With the board showing three added minutes, Edwin Torres clawed one back for the visitors, pouncing on a loose clearance to send a low drive past goalkeeper Diego Martínez. The goal, arriving with almost the last kick of the half, changed the emotional landscape as the teams left for the interval.

If there had been any doubt about Pasto’s resolve, it was emphatically answered in the opening moments of the second half. Two minutes after the restart, Fredy Espinal took advantage of slack marking to restore Pasto’s two-goal advantage, latching onto a rebound after a set-piece scramble. But just as the home supporters began to breathe easier, Alianza’s Carlos Lucumí provided a swift reply. In the 52nd minute, the forward timed his run to perfection, heading home from a whipped cross and signaling that the contest was far from settled.

Caution—and tension—mounted as the second half wore on. Jonier Caicedo received a booking in the 49th minute for Pasto as hostilities intensified, and a flurry of substitutions from both benches reflected the managers’ intent to tip the balance. By the 78th minute, a yellow card to Pablo Franco presaged Alianza’s willingness to push the boundaries in search of an equalizer. Pasto’s Fabián Jaramillo and Alianza’s Felipe Mosquera would also see yellow as the match entered its frantic finale.

There were moments when the result seemed sealed. Pasto’s defense, though increasingly stretched, dealt capably with repeated service into the area. Yet in the final act, with the sixth minute of stoppage time approaching, Alianza forced their way into the box one last time. In a scramble, Pasto conceded a penalty. The stadium hushed as Lucumí stepped forward, but his composure never wavered. His strike sent Martínez the wrong way, igniting joyous celebration among the visiting contingent and sealing a share of the points in one of the campaign’s most memorable conclusions.

The draw, while dramatic, leaves both sides with questions as the season approaches its decisive phase. Pasto, a team that had seemed assured for so much of the evening, must now reckon with a defense that conceded twice in the closing stages. Alianza, meanwhile, will draw confidence from their resilience, and particularly from Lucumí’s late contributions—his brace bookends a performance that keeps his team’s hopes alive as the Clausura intensifies.

For the supporters who witnessed it, this was a match that reminded why autumn nights in Colombia’s top flight so often yield the unexpected. Each side, battered and buoyed in turn, leaves the Estadio Departamental Libertad with ambitions checked, but far from extinguished.