América de Cali Secures Spot in Liga BetPlay Semifinals with Victory Over Cúcuta Deportivo

América de Cali defeated Cúcuta Deportivo 3-1 at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, mathematically qualifying for the semifinals of the Liga BetPlay 2026-II. The team led by David González reached 31 points after a game with ups and downs, where they resolved efficiently in key moments against a rival who needed the win to move away from the relegation zone. The match began with referee Carlos Díaz as the main official. América opened the scoring at minute 5 through Yeison Guzmán, but the linesman disallowed the play for an alleged offside position. The VAR determined the opposite, and a minute later, the goal was validated for a 1-0 lead for América. Cúcuta tried to respond with a free kick that Leider Berdugo headed, but Jaime Peralta failed to connect the ball by a few centimeters. The local dominance increased at minute 10 when Luis Quiñones took advantage of a defensive error by visiting player Jhon Quiñones after a center by Jhon Murillo and finished without difficulty against goalkeeper Federico Abadía for a 2-0 lead.