Weimar Asprilla sends Santa Fe into Sudamericana quarterfinals with decisive penalty at the Monumental

One shot down the middle. That's all it took for Weimar Asprilla to send Independiente Santa Fe into the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Before that kick, there was an entire saga at the Monumental: 22 penalties taken, nerves stretched from start to finish, and an ending nobody saw coming, with both goalkeepers turned into shootout takers. Because that's exactly what happened. The field players ran out, and the responsibility fell to the goalkeepers. It was up to Franco Armani... sorry, Enzo Pérez... no, it was actually Lucas Beltrán who sent his shot over the crossbar, and that left everything set up for Asprilla, showing a calm that's surprising for someone who had only just stepped in for an injured starter, to finish it off with a hard, no-nonsense shot down the middle of the goal. Goal, qualification, and a celebration that the Bogotá-based "León" never expected to experience in Argentina.

The Colombian arrived at this tie out of necessity, not by design. Mosquera Marmolejo's injury forced him into the starting job right in the year's toughest matchup, and he answered with a near-perfect performance across the tie: just one goal allowed in 180 minutes and key saves that held the result up until the shootout decided it. The cherry on top, as he described it himself, was precisely that shootout that many called miraculous.

Days after the team's qualification, Asprilla spoke with SC AM Colombia and didn't hold anything back: he enjoyed every second of that shootout, even though the circumstances were tough and the pressure enormous.

We had to enjoy the penalty shootout, it was tough but I enjoyed it. I can't tell you I didn't enjoy it, from the moment I got the chance to come into the tie I knew it wasn't for nothing, that God had put me there for a purpose and I'm glad I was able to fulfill that.Weimar Asprilla

Did he picture a night like that against River? Not even he did. The goalkeeper was honest about the mental challenge of playing in a stadium like the Monumental without letting the atmosphere get to him.

I didn't picture my match against River going that way, I knew I couldn't let myself get dazzled by the stadium, the fans, or anything happening around me because it could have affected my performance. After everything played out the way it did, you try to think about whether it really happened or not.Weimar Asprilla

He also addressed those who point out that of River's eleven shots, he only stopped one. For Asprilla, that doesn't take away from the outcome one bit: he'd rather keep the ending exactly as it happened, without changing a thing.

There was also room for gratitude. The goalkeeper acknowledged Marmolejo's gesture, who despite being injured and watching his spot taken, came over to give him confidence before the series kicked off in the first leg of the tie.

What's next

With their spot secured, Santa Fe already knows its opponent and date for the quarterfinals. They'll face Vasco da Gama on Tuesday, September 8, at 5:00 PM (Colombia time), hosting at El Campín. After everything that happened in Argentina, the Bogotá side arrives with the confidence of having survived one of the longest, tensest shootouts of the year, and with a goalkeeper who went from emergency backup to the month's biggest standout.