All a hero needs to perform his duties on the field is the opportunity. On Thursday night, against Junior Barranquilla, César received his and did not disappoint. The goalkeeper's performance was crucial in the red-and-black team's 2-0 victory over Junior Barranquilla, a result that secured the Mais Querido a spot in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana final.

"I just wanted to do my best, as I've always done. We were confident that the victory would come. If I could have gone unnoticed and we still won, I would have been happy. They had a lot of chances to score and we were able to control their dominance. So it was more than I could have imagined," celebrated the number 24.

In the very first dangerous play of the match, a providential intervention prevented the opening of the scoring. From a free kick near the box, Chará passed the ball to Mier, who fired a powerful shot. With many players blocking his view, the goalkeeper showed his reflexes were on point and palmed the ball away. Despite his confidence boosted by the great save, his performance in the match couldn't depend on this alone, according to the goalkeeper.

"We always have it in our heads that the first ball can be decisive, but he told me something I'd also been thinking about all week. I could have hit the first ball or missed it, and that couldn't have affected my game. Obviously, that save really motivated me. It gave me confidence," César said, adding, "But I knew in my heart that regardless of whether I hit it or missed, I needed to stay calm to continue the match. Thank God I was crowned with a good save early on, and that definitely gave me more confidence."

However, beyond center forward Felipe Vizeu's two goals, the highlight of the match was yet to come. In a quick move inside the box, the referee saw Arão bring down Barrera and point to the penalty spot. The opposing team's star striker, Chará, took responsibility for the penalty. He didn't expect that the night would belong to César, who recalled the moment during an interview in the mixed zone of Barranquilla's Metropolitan Stadium.

"It's remarkable. I'll definitely remember that save forever. But I also had a lot of help from the coaching staff, who showed me their penalties. Chará had taken three penalties there and converted. I was lucky enough to wait, go to the right corner, and make the save," he thanked.

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