Independiente del Valle Goes Through in Sudamericana, Rabanal Criticizes Once Caldas for Premature Celebration

Independiente del Valle knocked Once Caldas out of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals after a dramatic night in Manizales. The Ecuadorian side overturned the 2-0 deficit suffered in Quito and secured qualification in a penalty shootout.

The build-up had been dominated by a viral video of Dayro Moreno and teammates celebrating on the roof of the team bus before the game at Palogrande. That confidence faded once the match began. Michael Hoyos struck twice to level the tie, forcing penalties. After local goalkeeper James Aguirre missed his spot-kick, Layan Loor sealed the win for the visitors.

In the aftermath, Spanish coach Javier Rabanal commented on the premature celebrations: “In the end, these things happen. Personally, I don’t like celebrating before achieving something. I was told they were celebrating, and in the end we took it.”

With the victory secured, Rabanal addressed fans and critics on social media: “Keep believing in the team. We are returning to IDV’s DNA. When we landed at Mariscal Sucre airport, everyone said we were going through. It’s very different from what you read on social media: that we’re trash, that we’re useless, that we never win in Colombia, that we’re cowards there...”

He praised the cohesion of academy graduates: “Sometimes you don’t need to train much when you’ve spent your whole life at IDV and play with Jordy, Guagua and Junior, whom you’ve known for a long time.” Rabanal also applauded 21-year-old defender Andy Velasco, who made his international debut: “He promised a lot, but injuries held him back. Today, in his first international start, he played an outstanding match.”