The damage was done one week earlier when Independiente goalkeeper, Diego Rodríguez had a night to forget and gifted Santa Fe a vital one-nil victory in Avellaneda but on Thursday evening in Bogotá, El Rojo still had the opportunity to overturn that result. Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have been in excellent form since the 44-year-old took charge but in both legs have failed to find any momentum and another sub-par performance in Colombia should have ended in defeat. Francisco Meza’s headed goal on the half hour mark made El Rojo’s task even greater and only an incorrect offside decision kept the lead at just one. The visitors did equalise on the night in stoppage time after Cebolla Rodriguez had hit the post and in the resulting melee Robinson Zapata put the ball into his own net but it was too late.
Independiente’s players were not happy with some of the challenges that had gone unpunished by the referee but in truth the performance over the two legs was simply not good enough. The result means that River Plate will now play Huracán in the semi-final with El Globo taking a place in the 2016 Copa Libertadores, by way of being the best placed Argentine side left in the competition (River have already qualified as holders). Santa Fe will play against Paraguayan side Sportivo Luqueño.
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