Santa Fe and Millonarios Draw 2-2 in Thrilling First-Leg Semifinal Clash in Women's Liga BetPlay

Four goals in 32 minutes and not an inch of advantage for either side. That sums up the first leg of the 2026 Women's Liga BetPlay semifinals between Santa Fe and Millonarios, who finished level at 2-2 this Thursday, September 17, at El Campin in Bogota.

The capital city derby arrived with extra spice: Millonarios had topped their group in first place, while Santa Fe scraped into the semifinals in second, going down to the wire to get there. That gap in the standings was exactly what shaped the format of the series: the Leonas opened at home and will have to close out the tie on the road.

What happened on the field, though, was anything but calculated. It was a back and forth battle, with both sides trading blows evenly and neither team backing down even when the score turned against it.

A goal fest in the first half

The deadlock did not last long. Before the quarter hour mark, Karen Hernandez opened the scoring with a classy finish inside the box, a right footed shot that curled in, clipped the post and went in.

Millonarios did not fall behind for long and hit back fast. At the 18 minute mark, Kelly Restrepo unleashed a left footed strike from distance that flew straight into the top corner, the kind of finish that stays in the memory.

The goal seemed to fire up Santa Fe even more, and just two minutes later, in the 20th minute, they went back on top with another stunner, this time from Lina Gomez. El Campin, already buzzing, erupted with the string of celebrations.

Millonarios' response was not long in coming. In the 32nd minute, Andrea Perez connected with an unstoppable header to make it 2-2, restoring balance in a first half that had already given fans plenty to talk about.

After those four goals inside half an hour, the match slowed down and the scoreline stayed put the rest of the way. The result left the tie completely open, with no edge for either of the two rivals in this classic matchup.

Everything now comes down to the second leg, which will once again be played at El Campin in the coming days. Santa Fe will need to make home field advantage count in that second chapter, while Millonarios arrives with the confidence of having come back twice in the first leg, and with the dream still very much alive of reaching the final of the 2026 Women's Liga BetPlay.