Junior de Barranquilla draws with Once Caldas amid player controversy

Junior de Barranquilla drew 1-1 against Once Caldas at the Romelio Martínez stadium, marking the club's return to the Colombian league following a suspension caused by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on August 10. Once Caldas took the lead in the 79th minute through Dayro Moreno, but Junior secured a late equalizer in the 88th minute via Guillermo Paiva. This result provides Junior with its first point of the Clausura tournament.

Amidst the match, controversy has emerged regarding the absence of defender Jermein Peña from recent squad call-ups. Reports suggest a conflict between Peña and coach Alfredo Arias arose during training after the player expressed dissatisfaction with not being selected for the starting lineup. Consequently, Peña was left out of the rosters for both the Once Caldas match and the subsequent fixture against América de Cali.