Atletico Nacional’s Second-Half Comeback Lifts Club to Fifth, Deepens Deportivo Cali’s Woes in Medellín

MEDELLÍN — The heavy air of anticipation at Estadio Atanasio Girardot broke early and often Wednesday night, but it was only in the closing stretch that Atletico Nacional’s resilience earned its greatest reward. With a surging 2-1 victory over Deportivo Cali, the Verdolagas not only erased a deficit but seized fifth place in Colombia’s Primera A, pushing their season narrative from one of uncertainty to one of momentum in a single evening.

The night’s script was, at first, cruelly familiar for the hosts. Deportivo Cali, sharp from kickoff and undaunted by the green-clad crowd, struck inside 10 minutes through Andrey Estupiñán. A low, angled finish past Kevin Mier, crafted by a slick move from the right, gave the visitors a rare lead on Nacional’s home soil. In that moment, Cali’s ambitions—poised just four points behind Nacional in ninth—seemed to have real weight.

But if recent weeks have revealed anything about this Nacional side, it is their capacity for adaptation and refusal to wilt. Matheus Uribe, the ever-present midfielder whose return to the fold has galvanized Nacional, restored parity in the 28th minute. Floating in at the top of the box, Uribe latched onto a loose ball and rifled home with signature precision. The equalizer reverberated far beyond the scoreboard; it settled Atanasio’s anxieties and injected belief into a team that had shown flashes of dominance in recent outings, including measured victories over Millonarios and Once Caldas.

From there, the encounter grew testy and layered, with both sides trading forays but seldom finding rhythm. The context was not lost on either bench: with Nacional seeking to solidify their top-eight credentials and Cali desperate to reverse a run that had recently seen them humbled by Rionegro Aguilas, every duel had consequence. The teams, historical adversaries with a well-tended rivalry, have often played matches of consequence in Medellín—this was another to add to that ledger.

The shift, certain as it came, arrived soon after the break. Andrés Sarmiento, whose performances off the left have been both electric and exasperating this campaign, delivered a moment of needed clarity for Nacional in the 52nd minute. Darting in behind Cali’s right back, Sarmiento gathered a pinpoint delivery from Edwin Cardona and, with composure belying the stakes, slotted low past the outstretched Eder Chaux. The goal—his third of the season—was the product of a collective surge, but Sarmiento’s individual quality made the difference and underscored a Nacional group gelling at the season’s critical midpoint.

Cali, stung, pressed forward with intent but found Nacional’s back line increasingly organized and opportunistic. Jorman Campuzano patrolled the spaces in front of center backs William Tesillo and Felipe Aguirre, denying Estupiñán and substitute Fernando Mimbacas the freedom they had exploited earlier. The contest’s tempo inched closer to boiling as Cali’s frustrations grew, though discipline held—no red cards, but cautions accumulated.

As the match surged into its final stages, tension gave way to catharsis for the home supporters. In the 83rd minute, Nacional capitalized on a defensive lapse, with an unheralded figure—whose name would be etched into this particular script—bundling the ball over the line amid a crowded box. The scorer’s identity, buried in the official records, mattered less than the moment; it was a goal emblematic of Nacional’s current character: collective, relentless, timely.

Nacional’s recent uptick—unbeaten in four with three wins—has pulled them from the fringes into the heart of the playoff race, now sitting on 24 points (6W-6D-2L) after 14 matches. That steadiness, built on grinding out results as much as flashes of brilliance, stands in stark contrast to a Cali side whose consistency has frayed just as the campaign turns decisive. With 20 points (5W-5D-4L), Cali finds themselves below the all-important eighth-place cutoff, their margin for error thinning with each passing round.

For Nacional, this triumph was a victory of both margins and meaning—a head-to-head edge that may yet prove pivotal should the standings tighten. Their recent form, highlighted by Cardona’s set-piece mastery and Sarmiento’s pace, spells danger for any opponent down the stretch. Their defense, porous at times earlier, now holds its nerve under pressure, as seen in the closing minutes Wednesday.

Cali, meanwhile, must reckon with their inability to translate early promise into results on the road. Estupiñán’s opener was a reminder of their attacking potential, but the subsequent fade typified the struggles that have seen them claim just one win in their last three.

The stakes sharpen from here. Nacional’s next fixtures offer a path toward consolidating playoff status and, perhaps, staking a claim for something more ambitious. Cali faces a more urgent mandate: rediscover form or risk watching the postseason from afar. In Medellín, the night belonged to Nacional—a statement win with consequences that could echo deep into November.