Deportivo Cali showed character to beat a tough Santa Fe, playing more than half an hour with one less player, and took the first step towards its second title in the Women’s League, this Sunday in Palmaseca.
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With a 2-1 lead, Cali will arrive at El Campín on Friday to defend a lead that is very meritorious, considering that they had six injured players, including one of their great stars, Manuela Paví, who returned injured from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Cali wanted to assert its history against the Leonas: they had never lost a match in the Women’s League against this rival and had even already won a final, that of 2021. And from the beginning they turned to Yessica Velásquez’s goal.
After 8 minutes, the stadium was almost full of fans, but little by little more and more people came in (11,476 spectators came to Palmaseca): Laura Daniela Orozco challenged the Santa Fe goalkeeper, who stuck her finger in and managed to get the ball to hit the crossbar and not go in.
But little by little, Santa Fe began to balance the game. And it had the chance to take the lead in the 29th minute, when a pass from María Camila Reyes left Karla Viancha ready to score what seemed to be 0-1.
However, after five minutes of VAR review, referee Mariana Quintero annulled the action: on the way to Viancha, Karla Torres managed to touch the ball and when she did, the scorer was offside.
Cali’s response was, now yes, the first goal of the match, at 43 minutes, Ingrid Guerra took a rebound and shot almost falling. Andrea Pérez deflected the ball and put it in her goal. Local advantage, fair at that moment.
A brilliant move by Karla Torres gave Santa Fe the equaliser, 10 minutes into the second half. After a pass from María Camila Reyes, the attacker started from the middle of the field and began dragging her opponents. She reached the area and had no company. Was it a lost play? Not at all: She hooked the ball in a couple of times, left the goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo in her wake and ended up facing the empty net. Great goal!
Torres seemed to be the main concern for Cali’s defence, and at 13 minutes into the second half, when she was once again going it alone, Yessica Bermeo brought her down. The VAR intervened again and the home defender was sent off.
But the one who didn’t eat the shirt was Lina Arboleda, who, from a ball that she took from Torres in the middle of the field, set up the play for 2-1 for Cali. She began to advance and found space to launch a great cross for Ingrid Guerra, who headed it in, to put John Albert Ortiz’s team back in the lead.
Even with 10 players, Cali continued to play better than Santa Fe, where their coach, Omar Ramirez, bet everything he had on the bench to try to equalise. And, between the VAR review of Bermeo’s expulsion, the substitutions and a scare with Luisa Agudelo, who received a blow to the head in a clash with Andrea Perez, 11 minutes of added time were played. What’s more, Guerra almost scored the 3-1 with strength, when the match was almost over.
Cali is excited about its second crown and Santa Fe will have to appeal to the same spirit with which it rebuilt its team throughout the semester to turn the final around.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Deputy Editor
@josasc
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