- The CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina kicked off in Ecuador with an action-packed opening day.
- Corinthians made a winning start to their pursuit of a seventh title against Colo-Colo, while Belgrano drew with Independiente del Valle on their continental debut.
Ecuador is already buzzing with CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina excitement. The action got underway on 15 October with three fiercely contested matches to open Groups A and B. In Quito, Corinthians made a winning start to another continental campaign as they set their sights on a seventh title and a fourth in succession. Their performance sent a clear warning to the rest of the field: dethroning the Brabas will be no easy task.
In the day's opening fixture, Belgrano made a promising debut on the continental stage against Independiente del Valle, who finished fourth in 2024, with the two Group B sides sharing the points. Palmeiras, champions in 2022, defeated Universitario to take the lead in the race for a place in the Quarter-finals.
Following the rescheduling of the match between Caracas F.C. and Independiente Santa Fe to 16 October, Friday's programme will feature five fixtures. In Group C, Bolívar will face Olimpia and Cruzeiro will take on Liga de Quito, while Deportivo Cali will meet Libertad and Nacional will face Universidad de Chile in Group D.
Corinthians 2-0 Colo Colo
The other 15 teams competing in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina all share the same challenge: dethroning Corinthians to claim the continent's most coveted trophy. Six-time champions and winners of the last three editions, the Brazilian side began their title defence with a 2-0 victory over Colo-Colo at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito. It was the first step in their pursuit of a seventh crown.
The Brabas needed just four minutes to break the deadlock. Andressa Alves picked out Vic Albuquerque, who drove towards the edge of the penalty area before beating Ryann Torrero with a left-footed strike. It was another decisive contribution from a player who has consistently found the net across multiple editions of the tournament. Colo-Colo pushed for an equaliser and created an opportunity through Yenny Acuña, but goalkeeper Letícia was on hand to preserve the lead.
The early setback did not unsettle the Chilean side, who drew on their players' experience to keep the contest tight. With Korina Clavijo distributing the ball accurately, Colo-Colo managed to restrict the champions' chances and forced them to protect a slender lead for much of the match. Corinthians created few opportunities in the first half, but Vic Albuquerque's clinical finishing ensured they went into the break ahead.
In the second half, Jaqueline was fouled inside the penalty area and, following a VAR review, converted the resulting spot-kick to seal the victory. Corinthians therefore collected their first three points in Group A and will face Caracas in the next round of matches, while Colo-Colo will take on Independiente Santa Fe.
The match in numbers
- Colo-Colo's starting XI had an average age of 30 years and 205 days, the oldest for any team in a match across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- Colo-Colo restricted Corinthians to just three shots in the first half, conceding only 0.19 expected goals (xG). These were the Brazilian side's lowest first-half totals for both shots and xG across their last five CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina campaigns.
- Vic Albuquerque opened the scoring for Corinthians, joining team-mate Gabi Zanotti as the only players to have scored in four different editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina since at least 2022. She scored twice in 2022, three times in 2023, once in 2024 and once this year.
- Corinthians have now scored 10 penalties in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina since 2022. Jaqueline had previously scored from the spot for the Timão during that period, against Always Ready in 2023.
- Victoria Albuquerque (Corinthians) scored after 4 minutes and 13 seconds, the Brabas' earliest goal in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina since Ariel Godoi found the net against Always Ready in 2025 after just 1 minute and 19 seconds.
- Korina Clavijo (Colo-Colo) completed 90% of her attempted passes against Corinthians (36/40). Across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, this is the third-highest passing accuracy recorded by a Colo-Colo player, behind only Yanara Aedo (94%) and Clavijo herself (95%), both against Always Ready last year (minimum 30 passes attempted).
Independiente del Valle 1-1 Belgrano
A first goal, a first point and an afternoon to remember: Belgrano began their CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina journey with a 1-1 draw against Independiente del Valle at the Estadio Banco Guayaquil. The 'Piratas' took the lead through Alaides Paz, but the 'Dragonas' responded before half-time as Karen Páez converted a penalty to restore parity. The two Group B sides shared the points on their opening outing, with all the goals coming in the first half.
Belgrano made the most of one of their first attacking moves to write a special chapter in their history. In the 23rd minute, Raquel Polich spotted an opening to play in Paz, who finished past Alice Tosta to score the Córdoba side's first-ever goal in the competition. The experience of the provider and the composure of the goalscorer combined to give Belgrano the lead, despite creating relatively few attacking opportunities.
Independiente del Valle responded with sustained pressure and found an equaliser before the break when Páez converted from the penalty spot. With Claudia Roldán among their chief creative influences, the Ecuadorian side fashioned opportunities as they looked to complete the comeback. Belgrano had to work hard to preserve the draw against a 'Dragonas' side who kept goalkeeper Agustina Sánchez busy and continued to threaten the Argentine team's goal throughout the second half.
There were no further goals, leaving both teams with a point from their opening fixture. Independiente del Valle continued their positive run on the continental stage, while Belgrano completed their international debut, although they finished with ten players after Nicolle Amaya was sent off for a second bookable offence in the closing stages. In the next round of matches, the 'Dragonas' will face Universitario, while the 'Piratas' will take on Palmeiras.
The match in numbers
- This draw marks only the third time an Ecuadorian team has avoided defeat against Argentine opposition in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. All three encounters ended 1-1: today's match, Deportivo Quito against San Lorenzo in 2009 and Unión Española against River Plate in 2017.
- Independiente del Valle extended their unbeaten run in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina Group Stage to five matches (W3 D2), the longest such streak by an Ecuadorian side at this stage of the competition.
- Belgrano opened the scoring in the 23rd minute and went into half-time having attempted just two shots. They are the first Argentine team to score with only two first-half attempts across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- Independiente del Valle registered 16 shots against Belgrano, generating 2.3 expected goals (xG). This is the Dragonas' highest xG total across their last four CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina campaigns.
- Raquel Polich (Belgrano) provided an assist in this match at the age of 34 years and 190 days. Across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, she is the third-oldest Argentine player to register an assist, behind Fabiana Vallejos for Santiago Morning against Deportivo Lara in 2022 (37 years and 82 days) and Andrea Ojeda for Boca Juniors against América de Cali in 2023 (38 years and 262 days).
- Claudia Roldán (Dragonas IDV) created three chances against Belgrano. She has now established herself as Independiente del Valle's all-time leader for chances created in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, with 20 in total.
Universitario 0-1 Palmeiras
Palmeiras took the initiative from the outset and a goal from Brena proved enough to secure a 1-0 victory over Universitario at the Estadio Banco Guayaquil. The Brazilian side dominated possession and created the better chances, but had to wait until the final whistle to secure their first three points in Group B. At the other end, an outstanding performance from Mia Shalit kept the Peruvian side in contention.
The breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Brena pounced on a rebound following an effort from Emily and beat the Universitario goalkeeper. With Pati Maldaner dictating play from deep and helping maintain a precise passing rhythm, Palmeiras established themselves in the opposition half while shutting down routes to their own goal. Universitario went into the break without registering a shot, although Shalit's interventions prevented the deficit from growing.
The pattern continued in the second half. Palmeiras kept creating chances and had an opportunity to double their lead when they were awarded a penalty following a foul on Brena, but Maldaner struck the post with her spot-kick. Shalit continued to frustrate the Brazilian side, giving her team a chance to snatch an equaliser in the closing stages. Universitario began to venture forward, and Sofía Oxandabarat had a clear opportunity around the 85th minute, with the outcome still hanging in the balance.
Palmeiras held on to their lead and claimed victory in an opening match in which they combined possession-based control with attacking penetration, although a lack of precision prevented them from settling the contest earlier. The win put them top of the group, ahead of Independiente del Valle and Belgrano. The Argentine side will be their next opponents, while Universitario will face the Dragonas.
The match in numbers
- Palmeiras have recorded seven consecutive victories in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina Group Stage. Only Santos (17 wins) and Deportivo Cali (9 wins) have ever put together a run of seven or more victories in the competition.
- Sofía Oxandabarat (Universitario) is one of nine players to have represented the joint-highest number of different clubs in the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina (3): Defensor Sporting in 2022, Nacional in 2025 and Universitario this year.
- Palmeiras fielded the oldest starting XI by a Brazilian team in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, with an average age of 30 years and 86 days, since Santos faced Olimpia in 2024 (30 years and 94 days).
- Mia Shalit (Universitario) made eight saves against Palmeiras, the most by a goalkeeper representing a Peruvian club in a match across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. She also recorded 1.95 goals prevented, the third-highest figure in a single match during that period.
- Palmeiras did not allow Universitario a single shot in the first half, marking the first time the Verdão have prevented their opponents from registering a first-half attempt in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- Pati Maldaner (Palmeiras) attempted 107 passes, completing 101 of them. Both figures are records for a Palmeiras player in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- Palmeiras enjoyed 77% possession against Universitario, equalling the highest share recorded by any team in a match across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, alongside Independiente del Valle against Always Ready in 2025. They also registered the highest passing accuracy by a team in the competition during that period (89%).
- Universitario were outshot 27-4 by Palmeiras, although three of their four attempts came after the 70th minute. The Peruvian side also produced the shot with the highest expected goals value during that period: Sofía Oxandabarat's effort in the 80th minute (0.23 xG).