FORTALEZA (Interstat) — Nicolas Benedetti scored during a 70-minute appearance for Dep. Cali, Franco Pulicastro scored in an 80-minute shift for Fortaleza, and the teams played to a 1-1 draw Sunday. Pulicastro’s goal came in first-half stoppage time, giving Fortaleza its lone goal of the match and a lead entering the break. Benedetti supplied Dep. Cali’s goal before he was replaced in the 70th minute, and Pulicastro was replaced in the 80th. Fortaleza finished with 10 men after B. Mejia was sent off in the 81st minute, and D. Ramirez was booked in the 86th as the hosts tried to protect the draw. Dep. Cali pushed for a winner after the sending-off but could not break through in the closing minutes.

The match was physical from the opening stages. J. Herrera of Fortaleza was booked in the fifth minute. E. Velasco of Dep. Cali was booked in the 18th, and G. Cuellar of Dep. Cali was booked in the 42nd. The yellow cards interrupted the rhythm of the first half, and Fortaleza’s goal in first-half stoppage time gave the hosts a lift before the break. Dep. Cali had to manage the game after falling behind and later after Mejia’s red card changed the numbers. Mejia’s dismissal forced Fortaleza to finish short-handed, and Dep. Cali could not capitalize before the final whistle. Fortaleza’s back line held despite the late pressure, and Dep. Cali could not find a winning goal in the final minutes. The match produced four yellow cards and one red card, with tension rising as the second half wore on.

Dep. Cali made a halftime change with K. Sandoval in the 46th minute. Fortaleza brought on J. Herrera in the 68th, then Dep. Cali made changes with E. Bello and N. Benedetti in the 70th and Titi in the 76th. Fortaleza added S. Navarro and F. Pulicastro in the 80th and J. Salas and S. Vivas in the 83rd. The substitutions disrupted the flow of the second half, but neither side found a second goal. Dep. Cali’s bench moves were designed to add fresh legs for a late push, while Fortaleza’s changes helped the hosts close out the final stretch after the sending-off. Both teams used the bench to reshape their lineups for the final stages, and the game remained level through the late closing minutes.

Dep. Cali entered after a 3-0 win at Llaneros and scoreless draws with Junior and at Pereira. Dep. Cali had kept clean sheets in each of those previous three matches. Fortaleza had lost at Inter Bogota and at Santa Fe and drawn with Millonarios. Dep. Cali’s competition record is now 1-0-3, and its record across all competitions is 1-0-3. Fortaleza’s competition record is 0-1-2, and its record across all competitions is 0-2-2. The draw gave Dep. Cali another share of the points and kept Fortaleza without a victory in the competition. Fortaleza’s overall record is 0-2-2, while Dep. Cali remains unbeaten in its matches this season. Fortaleza’s draws in all competitions this season have come against Millonarios and Dep. Cali, while its losses came at Inter Bogota and at Santa Fe.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a 1-0 Dep. Cali win. Interstat’s ELO system gave Fortaleza a 72.6 percent probability to win. Dep. Cali was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5, and the total score of 2 went over the listed over/under line of 2.5.