Deportivo Cali rout Cúcuta 3-0 behind Eduard Bello brace

Palmaseca proved to be a fortress once again. Deportivo Cali shook off any doubts and handed Cúcuta Deportivo a 3-0 thrashing in a Matchday 11 clash of the 2026-II BetPlay League that was settled with pure efficiency from the first half onward.

The Azucareros didn't need to make things complicated. Playing direct, sharp soccer near the opposing box, they built their advantage piece by piece until the result was beyond dispute.

Bello, the standout of the afternoon

The man of the match was Venezuelan forward Eduard Bello, who scored a brace that all but sealed the win for the home side. He opened the scoring right before halftime, a psychological blow that Cali used to come out confident in the second half. It didn't take long for him to extend the lead either: in the 52nd minute he struck again to make it 2-0 and put the outcome all but out of reach.

With the game already well in hand, Titi Rodríguez came on to add the final touch. The forward found the net in the 84th minute to make it 3-0, a scoreline that fairly reflects the dominance the home side showed for much of the match.

These three points are worth double for Deportivo Cali. Not just for the emphatic way they came, but because the club still needs to keep piling up wins to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot, while also pulling away from a relegation zone that still makes more than a few fans nervous.

With the win, Cali moved up to 15 points and now sits in seventh place in the standings, keeping its hopes alive in the race for a spot among the top eight. On the other side, it was a bitter night for Cúcuta Deportivo, who remain on 9 points in 13th place, in urgent need of turning things around before the table gets even tougher to climb.

For the Azucareros, the takeaway from this match is clear: at Palmaseca, with this level of efficiency and an inspired Eduard Bello, any opponent can be in trouble. The question now is whether the team can keep up this level in the matches ahead, right as the standings start to tighten for everyone.