Deportes Tolima vs Independiente Valle

Deportes Tolima fell 0-1 at home to Ind. del Valle in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores round of 16 tie, in a match that also marked Colombian football's return following the country's recent earthquake. The Ecuadorian side struck early and made it stand up for the full 90 minutes. The only goal came in the 11th minute, when Aron Rodríguez rose above the Tolima defense to head home from a set piece. Tolima pushed hard for an equalizer, with Junior Hernández's free kick cracking off the post just after halftime, and goalkeeper Farinango denying Martínez later on. Yellow cards were shown to Sánchez and Hernández for Tolima, and to Schunke and Carabajal for the visitors, but no one saw red. It was a historic result for Ind. del Valle, marking their first-ever win on Colombian soil, and it hands them a clear edge heading into the return leg. For Deportes Tolima, who have never advanced to the Libertadores quarterfinals, the road to Quito now looks steep — they'll need to overturn the deficit away from home to keep their historic run alive.