BOGOTA (Interstat) — Inter Bogota scored in the 13th minute and again in the 80th, getting a late winner from Victoria Palacios to defeat Fortaleza 2-1 on Tuesday in a match that tightened in the second half after a controlled start by the home side. Ronaldo Julio gave Inter Bogota the early lead, and the hosts carried that advantage into halftime before Fortaleza found an equalizer and forced Inter Bogota to respond in the closing quarter-hour. The home side created the first meaningful chance and converted it, then absorbed pressure before the visitors broke through.

Inter Bogota improved to 1-0-1 in the competition and 2-0-1 across all competitions. Fortaleza fell to 0-1-1 in the competition and 0-2-1 overall. Inter Bogota entered the match after a 4-1 win over Llaneros and a 2-2 draw at Junior. Fortaleza had lost 3-2 at Santa Fe and drawn 1-1 with Millonarios in its previous outings. The result kept Inter Bogota unbeaten in the competition and overall, while Fortaleza remained without a win in its campaign. The match was the second competition fixture for both clubs, and the standings remained compact after the early rounds.

The decisive stretch began when Franco Pulicastro scored for Fortaleza in the 74th minute, leveling the match and shifting the pressure back onto the home side. Inter Bogota answered six minutes later when Victoria Palacios scored the winning goal. Palacios played 90 minutes and finished with one goal. Julio played 70 minutes and scored once. Pulicastro played 44 minutes and scored Fortaleza’s only goal. Cristian Dajome played 64 minutes and recorded an assist. Sebastian Navarro played 90 minutes for Fortaleza, recorded an assist and received a yellow card.

Inter Bogota’s early breakthrough came when Julio scored in the 13th minute, with Dajome credited with an assist. Fortaleza’s Navarro was booked in first-half stoppage time. Fortaleza made a halftime change with Montano I., and the visitors gradually played their way into the match. The second half brought more fouls, more cards and a series of substitutions as both sides sought control. Fortaleza’s Pico L. was booked in the 59th minute and was substituted in the 67th minute. Dajome was replaced in the 64th minute.

The cards mounted after the break. Vasquez L. of Inter Bogota was booked in the 69th minute, Cuero S. of Fortaleza was booked in the 70th minute, and Vasquez L. was booked again in the 70th minute. Inter Bogota replaced Julio R. in the 70th minute and brought on Bone F. Fortaleza made a substitution in the 75th minute when Cajares J. entered, and Inter Bogota brought on Sanguinetti F. in the 77th minute. Fortaleza also made late changes involving Salas J. and Cuero S. in the 85th minute. In second-half stoppage time, Castro J. of Inter Bogota and Barlasina W. of Fortaleza were both booked in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

Fortaleza pressed for a second equalizer after Pulicastro’s goal, but Inter Bogota kept the visitors from finding another breakthrough. The final minutes included the late bookings and substitutions, with the home side protecting the one-goal margin. Inter Bogota managed the final possessions with composure and cleared several late deliveries into its penalty area. Inter Bogota’s win followed its earlier victory over Llaneros and added to its unbeaten start across all competitions, while Fortaleza remained without a win in its campaign.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Inter Bogota 2, Fortaleza 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Inter Bogota with a 50.1 percent probability to win. Inter Bogota had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.