The president of Independiente Santa Fe stirred up the return against River and left a message for Thiago Almada

The series between River and Independiente Santa Fe for the round of 16 of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana also began to be played off the field. Ahead of the return leg, the president of the Colombian team, Eduardo Méndez, analyzed the 0-0 draw in Bogotá and threw a provocation for Thiago Almada.

The official was direct when referring to the Argentine player, who participated in the first leg: “Hopefully Almada plays like he did in the first leg.”

Méndez clarified that the intention was not to wish the midfielder a bad game, although he hinted that he hopes to see him perform similarly to how he did in Colombia. In that sense, he stated that “they wish him the best,” but expressed his desire for Almada to maintain the level he showed in that first match.

Independiente Santa Fe believes they deserved to win in Bogotá

The president of Independiente Santa Fe also analyzed the match played at the El Campín stadium and considered that the home team had enough arguments to win the match.

“We should have and could have won; it didn’t happen, and that’s football,” Méndez said while recalling the opportunities his team had during the match.