Chico vs Santa Fe Match Recap - Oct 18, 2025

Scoreless in Tunja: Chico, Santa Fe Trade Frustrations as Stalemate Shapes High-Stakes Primera A Run-In

In the windswept highlands of Tunja, where Estadio La Independencia stands as a monument to the aspirations of Boyacá, Chico and Santa Fe played to a tense, bruising 0-0 draw that reflected more than just 90 minutes of football—it captured two teams suspended between ambition and uncertainty, each desperate for points as the Primera A season barrels toward its decisive phases.

The goalless affair, played out beneath a brittle October sky, rarely dazzled, but it throbbed with the anxiety of teams whose seasons hang in the balance. Chico, mired deep in 19th place with only a dozen points from 15 matches, entered the contest still searching for cohesion amid an autumn of stark results: just two wins, six draws, and seven losses, the latest a dispiriting 0-1 defeat at Fortaleza. Santa Fe, perched in 8th and clinging to hopes of post-season relevance, sought to rebound from bruising setbacks of their own, including a humbling 1-3 home loss to Llaneros and an early Copa Colombia exit at the hands of Independiente Medellin.

From the start, the match revealed its nervy undercurrent. Santa Fe, true to form, pressed high but lacked the sharpness that powered their 3-0 dismantling of La Equidad just three weeks prior. Chico, meanwhile, relied on the counterattacks that have become a reluctant trademark—a system forged out of necessity more than design, as their recent goal tally attests. The hosts, with only eleven goals this campaign, struggled to conjure the spark supplied by Johan Bocanegra and Jairo Molina in recent matches. Bocanegra, who salvaged draws against Nacional and Pereira with late strikes, found himself shackled by Santa Fe captain Marlon Torres, whose marshaling presence proved vital in extinguishing Chico's most promising surges.

The first half's best chance fell to Santa Fe's Hugo Rodallega, the veteran forward whose autumn form has tracked with his team's fortunes. In the 26th minute, Rodallega latched onto a clever Omar Fernández flick, breaking Chico’s back line, only for keeper Rogerio Caicedo to parry the low shot with an outstretched boot—a save cheered as if it were a winning goal in a city desperate for radiance. Minutes later, Chico’s own moment arrived on the counter, with Molina outmuscling his marker and rifling just wide—another near-miss to add to Chico’s growing catalog.

A battle of attrition developed after the break. Both benches shuffled the deck: Santa Fe boss Gerardo Bedoya introduced Alexis Zapata in search of invention, while Chico’s Mario García rolled the dice with a double substitution, injecting youth in an effort to alter the rhythm. The match, however, remained gridlocked. Referee Wilmar Roldán kept his cards in his pocket, letting physical duels play out but never losing command, and tempers flared only briefly after a late challenge on Santa Fe’s Christian Mafla, who returned to the lineup after scoring in three of his previous five matches.

The game’s defining sequence arrived in the 77th minute. Santa Fe’s Zapata danced free on the left and delivered a teasing cross that fizzed through the six-yard box, begging for a decisive touch. Instead, the ball eluded all in red and white, Chico’s defense collectively exhaling as the threat evaporated. Chico, sensing an unlikely coup, surged forward in stoppage time; a desperate scramble saw the ball fall invitingly to Bocanegra on the edge of the area, his curling effort flashing just wide of the top corner and sending a ripple of frustrated disbelief through the sparse home crowd.

For Chico, the draw extends their winless run to five and does little to ignite hope of a late-season resurrection. Their league position—19th, perilously above the foot of the table—reflects the sting of inconsistent defending and toothless finishing. Any dreams of climbing clear of danger will require an urgent turnaround, with fixtures tightening and time running out for reprieve.

Santa Fe, meanwhile, will rue missed chances but remain inside the top eight, a single point clear of the chasing pack. The result, while hardly catastrophic, underscores the fragility of their position. Recent weeks have exposed both resilience—the emphatic La Equidad win, the comeback at Deportivo Pasto—and vulnerability, as heavy defeats have tested the squad's confidence. Their path to the playoffs remains viable but narrow, and each subsequent draw becomes a lesson in urgency unmet.

Head-to-head, Santa Fe historically holds the edge in this matchup, but tonight brought another reminder that in Tunja, margins are tight and expectations fragile. Both sides depart the plateau with regrets and responsibilities—Chico with the burden of survival, Santa Fe with the weight of expectation. As October winds on and the table tightens, neither can afford to look back for long.