Yessica Bermeo rescues Deportivo Cali with a 93rd-minute stunner: 1-1 against Libertad after playing with ten from the 11th minute

Deportivo Cali played almost all of their 2026 Copa Libertadores Femenina debut a player down and, with the match seemingly lost, their captain stepped up. Yessica Bermeo struck from more than 30 metres into the top corner in the third minute of stoppage time to earn the Colombian champions a 1-1 draw against Paraguay's Libertad in their opening Group D match at the Estadio Banco Guayaquil in Quito.

Ten players from the 11th minute

Cali's plan lasted eleven minutes. They had already created a clear chance in the 4th minute when the blow came: Peruvian goalkeeper Maryory Sánchez was shown a straight red card after rushing out of her area in a challenge on María Tamay. The coach had to sacrifice an outfield player to bring on back-up keeper Andrea Vera, and the Azucareras spent more than 80 minutes defending with ten.

Libertad dominated the second half, threatened through Tamay in the 56th minute and got their reward in the 70th: Ramona Martínez took a pass from Tamay and finished from the edge of the box with an angled shot that Vera could not keep out.

The captain's thunderbolt

With the clock on 90+3, Bermeo picked up the ball outside the area and hit it from distance into the top corner, well beyond goalkeeper Gloria Saleb. Cali even had a triple chance in the closing seconds to turn the game around, but Saleb and the woodwork preserved the draw.

The point matters for a side that arrived in Quito as reigning Colombian league champions and as Libertadores runners-up: in 2025 they lost the final to Corinthians on penalties, 5-3 after a 0-0 draw, at the Estadio Florencio Sola in Banfield. The Verdiblancas play again on Monday 19 October against Uruguay's Nacional, who make their debut tonight against Universidad de Chile in the same group (9 pm Argentina time).

Bolívar and Olimpia share a 2-2 draw in Group C

At the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Bolívar, playing in their first Libertadores, opened with a 2-2 draw against Paraguay's Olimpia. Clenilda da Silva put the Bolivians ahead in the opening minutes and Pamela Villalba levelled in the 6th; Erika Cartamán gave Olimpia the lead just after the restart and Carla Méndez, around 20 minutes from time, sealed the draw. Both teams return on Monday: Bolívar face Cruzeiro and Olimpia meet LDU Quito, who were playing each other on Friday in the group's other match.

All four groups have now seen action. The top two in each group advance to the quarter-finals of a tournament that will be decided on 31 October and which began with holders Corinthians beating Colo Colo.

Sources: El País (Cali), El Tiempo, Deportes RCN, EFE, Gol Caracol, Red Uno.