Marino Hinestroza fails to make an offensive mark as Vasco da Gama draw 0-0 with Santa Fe

The whistles from the stands as he walked off the field said more than any stat sheet could. Marino Hinestroza got his shot as a starter for Vasco da Gama and failed to make the most of it. The Colombian played all 90 minutes of the 0-0 draw against Independiente Santa Fe in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, and he left the pitch without leaving a single offensive mark.

The opportunity didn't come by chance. Vasco is going through a rough patch in the Brasileirao, fighting to avoid relegation, and that forced the coaching staff to spread minutes across competitions. With the regular starting attack prioritizing the domestic league, Hinestroza earned his sixth start of the season and got the nod on the right flank. But the kind of game breaking ability that made him a champion with Atletico Nacional simply never showed up.

No one on one won, none of those diagonal runs that, at his best, let him turn and get a shot off near the box. He finished the match with no shots on target, won just four of seven duels, and couldn't find the mark on the crosses he attempted. There was also a missed finish on a chance set up by Claudio Spinelli, perhaps the clearest opening Vasco had all night.

Capping off a forgettable evening, he was booked for arguing with an official and answered the fans, who sent him off with jeers, with gestures of his own. In such a tight internal battle for a spot up front, games like this don't help solidify a place in the lineup.

What's next: the return leg in Bogota

Despite the underwhelming individual performance, the result leaves the tie completely open heading into the second leg in Bogota. Hinestroza reviewed how the match played out and was self critical about his team's approach in the second half.

Both teams were protagonists, they had chances, we did too. Neither side could find the goal. I feel like in the second half we dropped off a bit to play more on the counterattack. We created scoring chances, which is what we set out to do, it just didn't happen for us.Marino Hinestroza

The forward also spoke about what it means to play at altitude and what he expects from the decisive match.

The tie is wide open. At home with our fans it's going to be a great match. The altitude here affects any team, we came to compete. We played toe to toe with them.Marino Hinestroza

Everything will be decided in Bogota. And for Hinestroza, that will be a fresh test, not just for the outcome of the series, but to get back to the level that brought him to Brazil in the first place.