Byanca Brasil scores a hat-trick and sends Cruzeiro into the Libertadores quarter-finals on their debut

Cruzeiro arrived at their first Copa Libertadores Femenina with a striker who already knew the tournament. On Monday, at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Byanca Brasil scored all three goals in a 3-0 win over Bolívar on matchday two of Group C, and the club from Belo Horizonte secured a quarter-final place with two games played and 6 points.

Three second-half goals

The first half ended 0-0 and the game only opened up after the break. In the 51st minute, a shot from Marília Furiel hit the crossbar and Byanca tapped in the rebound to break the deadlock. In the 75th she doubled the lead with a free kick from the edge of the box, placed just inside the left post. And in the 89th she completed the scoring from the penalty spot, awarded for a foul by goalkeeper Enyuli López, with a chipped finish over her.

The forward had already scored once and set up another goal in the 2-1 opening win against Liga de Quito. With four goals, she now leads the Copa's scoring chart, ahead of Mariana Zamorano (Santa Fe), who has three, according to Diário Celeste's count. The same outlet notes that Byanca is the club's all-time top scorer: this hat-trick took her to 68 goals in 106 games.

Olimpia knock out Liga de Quito

In the other Group C game, Olimpia beat Liga de Quito 1-0 with a 90th-minute goal from Micaela Valdez. The Paraguayans are on 4 points and the Ecuadorian side, still without a point, are out. Bolívar, on 1 point, will close their campaign on Thursday 22 at 21:00 (Argentina time) against Liga de Quito, while Olimpia and Cruzeiro meet at the same time for first place: a draw is enough for the leaders.

Libertad and Cali lead Group D

Libertad beat Universidad de Chile 2-1 with goals from Paola Genes, a header from a corner in the 11th minute, and María Luján Tamay in the 27th. Constanza Santander pulled one back for the Chileans in the 88th. "It is a very important win, a very tough opponent, really tough, they pinned us back and we knew how to hold on," Genes told AFP.

Earlier, Deportivo Cali beat Uruguay's Nacional 2-0 in a game that was halted for close to an hour, around the half-hour mark, because of the risk of an electrical storm. Ingrid Guerra opened the scoring in the 40th minute with a low shot from the edge of the box and Daniela Castellanos sealed the result in the 79th.

This is how Group D stands before the final matchday:

• Deportivo Cali, 4 points
• Libertad, 4 points
• Universidad de Chile, 1 point
• Nacional, 1 point

On Thursday 22 at 17:00 (Argentina time), Libertad play Nacional and Universidad de Chile face Deportivo Cali. The Chileans stay alive only if they win.

Who has qualified so far

With Cruzeiro, four teams have now booked a quarter-final place: Corinthians and Santa Fe from Group A and Palmeiras from Group B. Group B, where Belgrano play, will be decided on Wednesday 21 at 21:00 (Argentina time) with Belgrano-Universitario and Palmeiras-Independiente del Valle.

Sources: O Tempo, Diário Celeste, EFE (via HolaNews and Infobae), AFP (via Unitel), Contragolpe, Emol, El Espectador.