- Palmeiras produced a dominant display, coming from behind to beat Belgrano and seal their place in the quarter-finals, while Santa Fe staged another epic comeback to reach the next round.
- In the later kick-offs of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, reigning champions Corinthians cruised to an emphatic victory over Caracas to secure their qualification. Independiente del Valle, who defeated Universitario, will have to wait until the final matchday to determine their fate.
The opening matches of the second round of the group stage delivered plenty of excitement. La Gloria es de Ellas featured four thrilling, high-scoring encounters that saw the first teams book their places in the next round, beginning to shape the course of the continental competition.
In Group A, Independiente Santa Fe once again demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity, producing a dramatic late comeback to defeat Colo-Colo 2-1 and advance to the next round. Corinthians, determined to retain their crown, shone in a commanding 7-0 victory over Caracas, securing their place in the quarter-finals with one group-stage match remaining.
Palmeiras showcased their continental pedigree, coming from behind to defeat Belgrano 3-1 and book their ticket to the next stage. At the Estadio Banco Guayaquil, Independiente del Valle played out a thrilling encounter against Universitario, moving to the brink of qualification with an entertaining 4-2 victory.
The action continues on Monday with four matches across Groups C and D. Deportivo Cali will face Nacional at the Estadio Banco Guayaquil, while Cruzeiro take on Bolívar simultaneously at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado. The matchday will conclude with Libertad facing Universidad de Chile and Liga de Quito taking on Olimpia.
Independiente Santa Fe vs Colo-Colo
'Las Leonas', who came into the match full of confidence after claiming all three points on the opening matchday, dominated the first half through possession and intricate passing combinations but were unable to take the lead thanks to an outstanding performance from Ryann Torrero, the goalkeeper of the Chilean side.
'Las Albas' held firm and broke the deadlock from a set piece. Seven minutes into the second half, Anaís Cifuentes rose to meet the ball with a precise header that found the far corner, putting Colo-Colo ahead and raising hopes among 'El Cacique'.
But Mariana Zamorano stepped up at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, emerging as the star of the match with two goals to complete another epic comeback for the Colombian side. In the 63rd minute, she curled a superb free-kick from the edge of the penalty area into the net to restore parity with a goal worthy of the highlights reel. Then, in the dying moments of the match, she pounced on a series of rebounds inside the six-yard box to make it 2-1, showcasing her goalscoring instincts and sending Santa Fe through to the next round with six points. Colo-Colo, meanwhile, suffered their second consecutive defeat.
The match in numbers:
- This is the fourth time Santa Fe have avoided defeat after conceding first in a match across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. They have recorded two draws, against IDV and Ferroviária, and two wins this year, including their previous match against Caracas.
- Santa Fe beat Colo-Colo despite having less possession (36% to 64%) and fewer total shots (11 to 18), while registering just one fewer shot on target than their opponents (four to five).
- Colo-Colo allowed just 27% of Santa Fe's shots (three out of 11) to come from inside the penalty area. This was the second-lowest proportion of shots from inside the box conceded to an opponent in a match across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- With Mariana Zamorano's direct free-kick against Colo-Colo, Santa Fe became the second team to score multiple goals directly from free-kicks across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, with two. Only Palmeiras have scored more, with three.
- Anaís Cifuentes of Colo-Colo became the youngest Chilean defender to score in the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, finding the net against Santa Fe at the age of 21 years and 290 days.
- Yenny Acuña of Colo-Colo recorded her first direct goal contribution in the current CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina by assisting Anaís Cifuentes. The Chilean forward has now been directly involved in goals in each of her last four appearances in the competition: one in 2022 (one goal) with Santiago Morning, two in 2024 (two goals), and two in 2025 (two assists), both with El Cacique.
- Santa Fe are the first team across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina to score twice after the 90th minute in a single edition. Andrea Pérez scored against Caracas at 90+1' (91:57), followed by Mariana Zamorano's goal today at 90+2' (92:39).
- Juana Ortegón is the first Santa Fe player to provide an assist in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina after coming on as a substitute.
Belgrano vs Palmeiras
Las Piratas arrived at the tournament determined to showcase their full potential. As in their opening match, the Argentine side made the most of a combination that had already worked against Independiente del Valle in their first-ever competitive appearance in the tournament. Raquel Polich set up Uruguayan forward Alaides Paz, who timed her run into space, used her pace and finished confidently to put the Córdoba side ahead.
The Verdão response was almost immediate. Brena Carolina produced a deft, skilful touch to put Bia Zaneratto through one-on-one with Agustina Sánchez, and the forward made no mistake. The Brazilian side were level and, carrying that momentum forward, took the lead through a powerful long-range strike from Brena that flew into the top-left corner of the goal guarded by the Uruguayan goalkeeper.
Seven minutes into the second half, Bia Zaneratto took advantage of the gaps in the Argentine side's defence to put the result beyond doubt with a goal befitting her quality. It was her third brace across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
Palmeiras will face Independiente del Valle in their final group-stage fixture, while Belgrano, who have one point, will take on Universitario.
The match in numbers:
- Palmeiras have recorded the most wins after conceding first across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, with three. Only Deportivo Cali have matched that tally.
- Brena Carolina's goal, scored from 27.4 metres, is the longest-range goal by a Palmeiras player in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina since Katrine scored from 30.7 metres against Caracas in 2023.
- This was Raquel Polich's second assist for Alaides Paz in the current CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. It is the first time across the last five editions of the competition that a player has assisted the same teammate twice while representing an Argentine side.
- Bia Zaneratto of Palmeiras became the second player to score two or more goals in three separate matches across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. She scored twice against Olimpia and Atlético Nacional in 2023 before repeating the feat against Belgrano today. Only Mary Valencia had previously achieved this during that period, with Colo-Colo and Santiago Morning.
- Raquel Polich reached three assists in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, adding the one she provided for Boca Juniors in 2023 to her two this year with Belgrano. At 34 years and 193 days old, she is the oldest Argentine player to reach three assists across the last five editions of the competition.
- Catalina Roggerone of Belgrano made eight clearances against Palmeiras, matching her tally from the opening match of this CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina against IDV. She is the first player to record eight or more clearances in two matches in the current tournament.
Corinthians vs Caracas
The reigning champions showed their credentials against Caracas. Emily Lima's side produced a memorable victory thanks to the quality of their individual performers, going into half-time with a 3-0 lead.
Andressa Alves capitalised on a loose ball inside the Venezuelan side's penalty area and fired across goal to open the scoring. Jaqueline then put the finishing touch on an excellent team move to make it 2-0. In the 30th minute of the first half, Duda Sampaio met a bouncing ball on the edge of the box and guided her shot into the corner to extend the lead further.
After the break, the Brabas showed no signs of easing off. Paola García converted a penalty to score the fourth goal. Sampaio found the net again to make it five, before Gabriela Zanotti added the sixth in the 30th minute of the second half. Gisela Robledo completed the rout in stoppage time, embarking on an individual run, getting past Aguiar and finishing into an empty net.
Independiente del Valle vs Universitario
The opening 45 minutes were an attacking showcase from both sides. Universitario defender Stephanie Lacoste turned the ball into her own net while attempting to intercept a cross from the left, giving Las Dragonas an early lead. Seven minutes into the first half, Independiente del Valle captain Nicole Charcopa doubled the advantage by converting a cut-back from Karen Litardo.
Pierina Núñez pulled one back in the 23rd minute to bring Carlos Véliz's side back into the contest. Karol Murcia capitalised on a lapse in Universitario's defensive line and produced an excellent finish past Mía Shalit to score the third. Núñez reduced the deficit again just before half-time: the forward ran on to a through ball, used her pace to beat two opponents and goalkeeper Nayely Rodríguez, and scored her second goal of the match.
Independiente del Valle dominated the second half, but Mía Shalit produced one crucial save after another, denying four or five potential goals. Her resistance was finally broken in the 33rd minute of the second half. Murcia shot from distance and the ball struck the post; Karen Páez reacted quickest to the rebound and headed home to make it 4-2 for Independiente del Valle.
The result takes the Ecuadorian side into the final matchday of the group stage in second place with four points, behind Palmeiras, who have six.
