TUNJA, Colombia (Interstat) — Andres Sarmiento scored twice in the closing stages, and Atl. Nacional defeated Chico 4-1 on Saturday at Estadio de La Independencia. The visiting side broke open a tight match after halftime and handed the home team its second loss in this competition. Atl. Nacional improved to 1-0 in this competition and 2-0 across all competitions. Chico fell to 0-2 in this competition and 0-2 across all competitions. Chico’s lone goal came from J. Diaz, who also was booked in the first half. Atl. Nacional never trailed after taking the lead in the 16th minute. The match was played in Tunja with Chico as the home side.

Atl. Nacional opened the scoring when Emanuel Benitez found the net in the 16th minute. Benitez finished with one goal in a 46-minute outing and was replaced at halftime. The first half ended with Atl. Nacional ahead 1-0. Chico tried to answer and picked up the first yellow card of the match when Diaz was cautioned in the 19th minute. Atl. Nacional’s Rengifo was cautioned in the 38th minute and Rios in the 45th. The home side also was booked when Camargo received a yellow card in the 63rd minute, while Cardona was cautioned in the 57th. The match produced five yellow cards in all, with three going to Atl. Nacional and two to Chico.

Edwin Cardona doubled Atl. Nacional’s lead in the 50th minute during a 65-minute performance that also included a yellow card. Cardona’s goal gave the visitors a cushion before Sarmiento put the match away with goals in the 85th minute and in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. Sarmiento finished with two goals in 25 minutes. Nicolas Rodriguez recorded an assist over 44 minutes, Kevin Parra added an assist in 25 minutes and R. Escorcia supplied an assist in 14 minutes. Atl. Nacional’s late scoring surge turned a one-goal advantage into a three-goal margin. The goals from Cardona and Sarmiento followed Benitez’s first-half opener.

Atl. Nacional’s bench contributed to the late control. Benitez and Rivero were involved in substitutions at the 46th minute, Cabrera and Cardona at the 65th and Rengifo at the 76th. Chico made changes with Pimentel and Maya at the 46th, Salazar at the 65th and Sarria and Mera at the 73rd. The substitutions did not change the game’s direction after Atl. Nacional took command. Chico’s best moments came before the break, but the home side could not build on Diaz’s goal. The visitors protected their advantage and added to it in the final minutes. Atl. Nacional made its first changes at halftime, and Chico matched with two changes of its own. More changes followed at the 65th and 73rd minutes, with Atl. Nacional making its final substitution in the 76th.

The result followed Atl. Nacional’s 3-2 victory against Ind. Medellin in its previous outing. Chico had lost 1-0 to Cucuta in its previous match. Atl. Nacional’s record across all competitions remained perfect, while Chico remained without a win in this competition and across all competitions. The visitors’ four-goal output came from Benitez, Cardona and two goals by Sarmiento. Chico’s lone reply came from Diaz. Chico’s previous match ended in a one-goal defeat, while Atl. Nacional’s previous match produced five combined goals.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chico 1, Atl. Nacional 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Chico with a 60.4 percent probability to win. Atl. Nacional had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.25. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5.