Deportivo Cali is the new champion of the Women’s League: it beat Santa Fe well, overcame the losses and celebrates its second star

Deportivo Cali’s second title in the Women’s League has the flavour of a feat. Coach John Albert Ortiz had to manage a roster plagued with serious injuries, with at least six players missing. But with what he had left, he put together a more than solid team, to which, in the last game of the year in local football, he added a talented player that he had missed, Manuela Paví.

With her on the court, she gave a great blow to Santa Fe, which was left wanting another victory lap in front of its home crowd. El Campín was not full: 18,923 spectators came.

Ortiz had already announced, in the press conference before the second game of the final, that she was not going to hide, that if she could go forward and score, she was going to do it. And to do so, she began to open a gap on the right. The first goal came from there, at 12 minutes, which was celebrated late. Michelle Vásquez gave a precise and beautiful pass to Paví, who finished with a soft touch. However, the eastern assistant, Viviana Quintero, raised the flag. Offside? Not at all. The VAR saved her. When the center, Danna Victorino, pointed to the center of the field, Manuela ran towards the coach as if she had just scored the goal.

Santa Fe did not react. Karla Torres was not allowed to move. María Camila Reyes was not important. Coach Omar Ramírez sought help by bringing in Karla Viancha for Karen Hernández, just 23 minutes in. And the response was the same: nothing. Only when the first half was ending did they have a real chance: goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo prevented it with a spectacular save on a low shot by Reyes.

Instead, with Santa Fe playing on the attack, Cali found spaces to do damage again, with the same protagonists of the first goal: a pass from Vásquez and a shot from Paví, who this time broke Yessica Velásquez’s goal with a hard and high shot, at 45+1. The final was beginning to be settled.

On the Santa Fe side, physical problems began to appear. Isabella Díaz, one of the most sharp in the first half, was injured at half-time. She was replaced by Nelly Córdoba. And then, María Camila Reyes began to complain of cramps, until she could not take it anymore: she lasted 18 minutes, until she gave way to Mariana Silva.

Karla Torres did not stop fighting and the little that Santa Fe could do to try to reduce the three-goal deficit in the aggregate came from her feet. At times she lacked aim and at other times, Agudelo’s hands proved to be a savior. In general terms, Cali had a quiet second half.

With the victory in the last match of the year, Cali finished first in the reclassification as well, with one point more than Nacional-Formas Íntimas (44 to 43). And it is a fair champion, because it adapted to the tournament with what it could, with a short roster, which often lacked substitutes on the bench, to the point that sometimes Ortiz had to bring two goalkeepers so that it would not look so empty. It is a title full of merits.

Jose Orlando Ascencio

Sports Deputy Editor

@josasc