The 10 events that shaped Santa Fe's 10th star: criticism, controversy, coaching changes, and... glory.

Santa Fe continues to celebrate with its tenth star, the reward for a demanding campaign in which the team endured various adversities, had three coaches, was undervalued, criticized, its president was attacked, was not favored in its home game, and yet, the Lions overcame it all to achieve glory, led by figures like Rodallega, Marmolejo, Torres , and others. These are the 10 key events in the semester of their title.

Santa Fe had a traumatic start to the season due to its poor performance in the Copa Libertadores. The team, led by coach Pablo Peirano, disappointed by being eliminated in the qualifying round against Chile's modest Deportes Iquique, after drawing 3-3 on aggregate and losing in a penalty shootout. It was a tough blow for the team, because reaching the group stage was the season's key objective, ensuring financial returns. The plan failed, and the Cardinals had to recover from that blow.

The poor performance in the Copa Libertadores had an immediate impact, as the management, led by president Eduardo Méndez, decided to remove coach Pablo Peirano from his position. The season had just begun, and the team was already without a manager. Peirano, who was a finalist in the Liga in the first half of 2024, had to step down on February 26. This was the second blow for the squad, because, as they acknowledged after the star player's arrival, the squad was comfortable with Peirano.

President Méndez decided to take his time evaluating the choice of a new coach. Many resumes arrived at the Cardinals' office, one of them being Uruguayan Jorge Bava. Meanwhile, Méndez decided to leave Francisco López, a man from the club's core who had returned this year as sporting director, as interim coach. Under his leadership, the team took off and achieved 48% of the standings, having collected 16 points, the result of five wins, one draw, and one loss.

Although the team was doing well under López, the fans were clamoring for a full-time coach. That's when Méndez decided on Bava, a Uruguayan manager, to continue along the same lines. In fact, the first thing Bava did was consult Peirano, who gave him every reason to come to Santa Fe. Bava had a difficult start, going four games without a win, the team wasn't popular, and he was heavily criticized. The manager didn't lose control, gradually instilling his ideas until Santa Fe found balance and became strong, especially on the road.

Santa Fe secured early qualification for the quadrangulars. Their 2-1 away win against Deportivo Cali secured their place in the top eight with 33 points, 28 goals scored and 23 conceded. Coach Bava decided to shake up his roster for the final match of the round-robin phase, but suffered an unexpected 6-1 away defeat against Alianza, a result that generated pessimism and discontent among the fans ahead of the quadrangulars, right on the day of the draw.

The qualifying match against Cali ended in scandal when Harold Mosquera and Yilmar Velásquez got into an argument on the field. Fans demanded their dismissal. There was speculation that the locker room was broken. President Méndez endured criticism from fans demanding his dismissal. They insulted him in the stadium and threatened him on social media and in the streets. To top it all off, Daniel Torres had been distancing himself from the fans, saying after the match against Llaneros that they hadn't won because of them. The public outlook wasn't the best.

Santa Fe endured all kinds of criticism from the press. There were analyses that disparaged the squad: that it was too short, that it had no substitutes, that it defended poorly, that only Rodallega stood out...

Some opinion-makers considered them the least likely to advance to the final, calling them "Cinderella" because of their play and the group they were drawn into, along with Millonarios and Nacional, the two favorites to win the championship, and Once Caldas. So much criticism fueled the team's desire to prove they could do it.

Santa Fe kicked off the quadrangular tournament by losing the derby at home, worsening its outlook in the group stage. But the team reaffirmed its status as a great visitor and went on to win in Manizales against Once Caldas. At the Atanasio Girardot stadium, Yilmar Velásquez made history for the club by scoring an epic goal from just outside the halfway line, in stoppage time, with an empty net in front of 38,000 Verdolagas fans. With that goal, Santa Fe demonstrated its aspirations of reaching the final.

The victory against Millonarios will also go down in history. It was the triumph that secured qualification for the final, on Matchday 6 of Group B. Santa Fe played its best match of the year, nullifying the Blue team and winning 2-1, with goals from Rodallega and Ewil Murillo. The match had all the hallmarks of heroics, in front of a blue stadium (only the south stand was red) and with Falcao leading the Millonarios attack. Santa Fe eliminated the Blue team, and the Red fans will remember that day when Falcao exploded for the first time in the press conference.

And Rodallega's most heroic match arrived. The final against Medellín was 1-1, the first leg 0-0. Penalties were looming. In the 77th minute, Rodallega broke down in tears; he had an adductor injury that almost meant he didn't play in the final. Santa Fe held out for the substitution; Hugo refused to leave. He flicked the ball to Edwar López, who, in 10 seconds of inspiration, delivered the perfect pass to the striker. Rodallega, limping and in tears, finished with his heart and earned Santa Fe its tenth star. He also led the league with 16 goals.