Salas Strikes Late as Fortaleza FC Edge Chico, Tighten Grip on Primera A’s Top Three

For eighty-eight minutes, Estadio Municipal de Cota simmered as Fortaleza FC battered at the gates of an embattled Chico side. The breakthrough, elusive and fraught with tension, finally materialized in the dying embers—a moment of clarity from Jhoiner Salas, whose 89th-minute strike secured a vital 1-0 home win for a Fortaleza squad intent on cementing their place among Colombia’s elite.

The closing moments told their own story. As Fortaleza pressed with an urgency befitting their ambition, it was Salas—always lurking at the edge of chaos—who pounced on a loose ball in the box. His finish, precise under duress, sent the home support into a frenzy and delivered three points that could prove defining in a congested race for playoff superiority.

The night’s narrative, however, was written much earlier, as Chico’s prospects shriveled under the harsh discipline of the referee’s red card. Johan Bocanegra, Chico’s combative midfielder and one of the few bright spots in their recent campaign, was dismissed in the 32nd minute for a rash challenge that left both sides in little doubt of the official’s resolve. Down to ten men for nearly an hour, Chico were forced into a desperate rearguard, their attacking ambitions wilting with each Fortaleza surge.

For Fortaleza, the win was more than a single moment’s relief. It adds gloss to a quietly consistent run, now stretching to just one defeat in their last six outings. In recent weeks, this team has proven adept at grinding results from adversity—a 0-0 stalemate at Llaneros last week, a bracing comeback over Bucaramanga the week prior, and a gritty 1-0 victory against America de Cali that signaled their growing resolve. That run, punctuated by critical goals from Andrés Arroyo, Andrés Amaya, and Sebastián Valencia, has lifted Fortaleza into third place, with 25 points from 14 matches—only two off the summit and now, crucially, in command of their postseason destiny.

The same cannot be said for Chico. Their October began with promise, holding Atlético Nacional to a 1-1 draw, but the optimism proved fleeting. Five matches without a win, including heavy defeats at Once Caldas and Deportes Tolima, have left the side languishing in 19th place—a mere 12 points from 14 played. Their attack, increasingly reliant on the spark of Bocanegra and the occasional brilliance of Jairo Molina, has too often been let down by a defense prone to lapses under pressure.

Tonight, Chico’s resistance was admirable but inevitably fragile. Reduced to ten, they retreated, banking on the clock and a bit of fortune to see them through. Fortaleza, for their part, pressed without panic, marshaling possession and steadily drawing Chico deeper within their own half. Each cross, each probing run, chipped away at Chico’s stamina.

This fixture offered little to suggest a shift in the historic balance between the sides, with Fortaleza now extending their recent superiority in head-to-head contests. For the home side, October is rapidly becoming a month of reckoning. With the playoffs looming and every point critical, Fortaleza’s knack for late drama and defensive resolve increasingly marks them out as a team opponents would rather avoid.

For Chico, the road ahead appears daunting. Relegation no longer seems a distant threat but an immediate concern, and the loss of Bocanegra—both tonight and for the weeks to come—will test the squad’s depth and resilience. The margin for error is gone, and the need for recalibration is urgent.

As the Estadio Municipal emptied into the cool night, Fortaleza’s fans dared to believe. Their team, once outsider and now contender, had once again shown a champion’s patience. One moment, one goal, and a night’s work edged them closer to the dream that is fast becoming their expectation. For Chico, it was one more lesson in the unforgiving arithmetic of Primera A—where discipline, concentration, and the finest margins separate hope from heartache.