America de Cali made it four wins from five in the Clausura with a comprehensive 7-0 victory over bottom-side Chico 7 at their home ground on Saturday. The hosts had already opened their campaign with wins against Real Cartagena and La Equidad, and this result pushed them further clear at fourth place. The scoreline reflected a match where the home side never really looked back after taking an early lead.
Y. Guzman struck first after just five minutes, and here's the thing about these openings — once a side loses that initial grip, the game opens up. D. Rosero added a second before half-time, converting after his own yellow card earlier showed he was playing with a bit of edge. By then, the visitors had taken two more bookings in stoppage time through Polanco and Escobar, but the damage was done.
The second half brought more of the same. L. Quinones made it four after the interval before being substituted himself, which is the sort of thing that happens when a manager wants to keep his legs fresh. D. Rosero completed his brace at the hour mark, and K. Angulo finished things with a brace in the closing stages. Six substitutions were made across the second half, though the visitors made none.
The statistics tell the full story. America controlled 62 per cent of possession and registered 10 shots on target compared to just two for Chico. Expected goals came in at 1.67 to 0.51, though the hosts were generous with their finishing. They created two big chances and crossed 16 times, while the visitors managed zero successful crosses from four attempts.
The gap between the sides in the table now stands at 16 points. Chico sit 18th with 17 points from 19 games, while America move up to fourth with 33 points. The visitors have won just five matches all season, and this result means they will need a serious turn of form to avoid the drop.