VILLAVICENCIO (Interstat) — Dep. Cali defeated Llaneros 3-0 on Wednesday at Estadio Bello Horizonte - Rey Pelé, using a fast start and a steady second half to secure the road result. Johan Martinez opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and Nicolas Benedetti doubled the lead in the 22nd. Titi added the third in the 63rd. The first goal came in the 11th minute, before the first yellow card of the match in the 14th. Benedetti’s goal followed Mena Posada’s booking in the 21st. Dep. Cali led 2-0 by the 22nd minute and kept Llaneros from mounting a response after the break. Daniel Giraldo recorded an assist as part of his 90-minute performance. The visitors managed the game after their early advantage, while Llaneros were forced to chase from the opening stages. Llaneros was the home team, but Dep. Cali scored all three goals and held the hosts scoreless.

Martinez played the full 90 minutes and scored once. Titi played 85 minutes and scored once. Benedetti played 73 minutes and scored once before being substituted. Giraldo also played the full match and finished with one assist. Dep. Cali’s scoring came from three different players, with Martinez’s 11th-minute goal setting the tone and Benedetti’s 22nd-minute strike giving the visitors a two-goal cushion before halftime. Titi’s 63rd-minute goal put the result beyond doubt and capped a productive attacking performance for Dep. Cali. The visitors’ lead held through the final whistle as Llaneros could not find a goal.

The match grew physical as it progressed. Sandoval K. of Dep. Cali was booked in the 14th minute. Llaneros’ Mena Posada H. H. was booked in the 21st minute, Rincon K. in the 42nd, Ramirez J. in the 67th and Mena Posada H. H. again in the 81st. Llaneros received four yellow cards in the match, while Dep. Cali received one. The game’s five yellow cards were issued between the 14th and 81st minutes. Llaneros made substitutions at halftime, bringing on Miranda L. and Rincon K. in the 46th minute. Castilla J. and Mena Y. followed in the 66th, and Ramirez J. came off in the 79th. Dep. Cali substituted Sandoval K. in the 72nd, Benedetti N. in the 73rd, Titi in the 85th, Pajaro R. in the 85th and Velasco E. in the 87th. The changes did not alter the scoreline, and Dep. Cali maintained its three-goal advantage through the closing minutes.

With the win, Dep. Cali moved to one win, no losses and two draws in this competition and across all competitions. Llaneros dropped to one win and two losses in this competition and one win and three losses across all competitions. Dep. Cali’s competition record and all-competitions record were identical after the match, while Llaneros’ all-competitions record included one additional loss. Dep. Cali had entered after consecutive scoreless draws, having played Junior to a 0-0 draw and Pereira to a 0-0 draw. Llaneros had entered after a 1-0 home win against Santa Fe, a 4-1 road loss at Inter Bogota and a 1-0 road loss at Once Caldas. The result gave Dep. Cali a clean sheet to go with its three goals, while Llaneros could not convert its home advantage into scoring chances. Dep. Cali’s defense preserved the shutout after the visitors took control early.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Dep. Cali 1, Llaneros 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Llaneros with a 72.5 percent probability to win. Dep. Cali had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.