BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Corinthians defeated Deportivo Cali in a penalty shootout to claim their sixth Women’s Copa Libertadores title after struggling for much of Saturday’s final.
Both teams ended the regulation scoreless period, sending the game to a penalty shootout. Cali’s Kelly Ibargüen made the only mistake and Ingrid Aparecida Jonson Borges tricked goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo into diving in the wrong direction, sealing a 5-3 penalty shootout victory.
Corinthians achieved a record third straight Copa title. In the past five finals up until 2019, no points were conceded by regulation. The result also underlined Brazil’s dominance in South American women’s club soccer, with 16 of the 17 finals having produced at least one finalist and 14 championships.
Cali’s Stefania Perlaza said: “We gave our all. The penalty shootout was a lucky draw. I’m very proud of the team.”
In addition to winning $2 million in prize money, Corinthians also qualified for the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup, to be held in London in January-February.
In the third-place match, Brazil’s Ferroviaria defeated Chile’s Colo Colo 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Catiusia Fernández Soares.
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