Atlético Nacional Routs Deportivo Cali 3-0, Advances to Copa BetPlay Quarterfinals

Four minutes. That's all it took for Atlético Nacional to make clear there would be no surprises tonight at the Atanasio Girardot. With a 3-0 rout of Deportivo Cali, the Antioquia club marched into the quarterfinals of the 2026 Copa BetPlay, and did so without a single scare, which isn't always the case in a single-match knockout.

That's precisely what sets this edition apart: there's no second leg to bail anyone out with a strong second half. Everything gets decided in 90 minutes, which forces teams to show up with their homework done from the first whistle. Nacional understood that perfectly. The opening goal was a team effort: Edwin Cardona got the buildup started, Juan Rengifo kept it moving, and Andrés Felipe Román set up Alfredo Morelos, who finished calmly to make it 1-0 in the 4th minute.

The match, to be fair, wasn't a complete one-way street. Cali settled in, looked for openings, and for a good stretch of the first half the game evened out. But reaching halftime with the lead intact was enough to send Nacional out with a different mindset for the second half: put the tie away as soon as possible.

And that's exactly what happened. In the 56th minute, Andrés Sarmiento won the ball down the right flank and whipped in a pinpoint cross that Marlos Moreno converted for 2-0. That's when the game changed complexion: Cali lost its clarity, stopped creating danger, and Nacional took total control of the ball and the tempo.

There was even a moment of controversy. Nacional had a third goal chalked off by the linesman for an alleged offside call. Replays raised serious doubts about that decision, since there didn't appear to be anyone in an offside position. A legitimate goal wiped off the board at a point when the home side was already comfortably in charge.

The persistence paid off late. Samuel Velásquez drove into the box from the left and unleashed a powerful strike to seal the final 3-0, a scoreline that put to rest any lingering hopes for the visitors.

Worth noting: the match was played behind closed doors due to a sanction Nacional is still serving in Medellín, though that didn't stop the team from showing solidity and sharpness in the moments that mattered.

What's Next

With its spot secured, Nacional now awaits its next opponent, the winner of the matchup between Independiente Medellín and Deportivo Pasto, who face off on Wednesday, September 9 at the high-altitude Libertad stadium. Should Medellín advance, it would set up an all-Antioquia derby in the quarterfinals.

For Deportivo Cali, meanwhile, the elimination is another blow that reopens questions about the team's direction, falling short once again in a tournament it entered hoping to fight for something more.