The Paraguayan lower leagues have now come to an end and will restart in around six months time, the tier system is quite confusing with various means of reaching the second tier (Intermedia), but the below list is effectively in descending order.
The ups and downs of 2012 are here, with thanks to Mundo Intermedia Paraguay for their excellent website that has been my main source of information. The name in brackets is the city the club is from.
INTERMEDIA
Promoted to Primera: General Díaz (Luque); Deportivo Capiatá (Capiatá)
Relegated to Third Tier: 29 de Septiembre (Luque) ; Sportivo Iteño (Itá), Atletico Colegiales (Asunción)
PRIMERA B METROPOLITANA
Promoted to Intermedia: 12 de Octubre (Itaguá)
Playoff for Intermedia place: Martin Ledesma (Capiatá)*
Relegated to Primera División C: 1º de Marzo
PRIMERA DIVISION B
Promoted to Intermedia: Liga Caacupeña de Deportes (Caacupé)
Playoff for Intermedia place: Liga Concepcionera (Concepción)
INTERLIGAS
The Interligas tournament comprised of teams from the Paraguayan countryside and organised by the UFI will conclude in early 2013 with the winner earning status as an APF club and a place in the 2013 Intermedia. This is how Sportivo Carapeguá came into existence having been previously an UFI select side known as Liga Carapegueña de Fútbol.
PRIMERA DIVISION C
Promoted to B Metropolitana: Atlantida (Asunción)
Relegated from APF tournaments: Nikkei Belmare (Itaguá)
*Martin Ledesma won the playoff against Concepcionera 5-4 on penalties with aggregate scores tied after two legs
This weekend was spent in Mexico at the Coatzacoalcos Carnaval so I haven’t watched a single game, the following is therefore a brief round up drawn from the reports I’ve read. I also defer Player of the Week and Team of the Week suggestions to you, my faithful readers – vote by making a comment below or tell me on Twitter!
Main games
Guaraní vs Olimpia Estadio Defensores del Chaco (0-0) 0-1 – Pablo Zeballos 51’
Football returned to the Defensores del Chaco with the clásico añejo decided by the only goal, Pablo Zeballos registered his third strike in as many games to win the match. Guaraní had the better of the first half but couldn’t make an impact, it took Olimpia just six minutes of the second period to mark the difference. El Decano were never likely to surrender their lead, even less so when Luis De La Cruz was shown his second yello card to reduce the aborigen to ten men.
The win ensured Olimpia would remain top of the table ahead of their big game with Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores this week.
Subs: M.Biancucchi for L.Caballero, C.Paredes for O.Hobecker, R.Reveredo for E.Aranda
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Sol de América vs Sportivo Luqueño Estadio Luis Gigani (1-2) 2-3 – Enzo Prono 14’, Roberto Martinez 46’; Pablo Gimenez 30’, Juan Abente 38’, Guido Di Vanni 64’
Sol vs Luque
A goal fest in Villa Elisa as the drop in temperature allowed football to replace suffering in this early kick off. Enzo Prono got a much needed goal early on to boost his confidence and open the scoring for the third time this year for the Danzarín. However Sol were undone by two Luque responses before the break. Pablo Gimenez got the first and then Juan Abente just after entering the field of play as a substitute scored in an 8 minute spell to put the Kuré in front as they look to haul themeselves out of the promedio. Straight after the restart Ricardo Martinez equalised for Sol before young striker Guido Di Vanni scored his third of the season to improve his already rising stock.
Sol de América XI: M. Santilli; R. Bonet, R. Martínez, D. Arrúa, D.Ciz; R.Ocampo, Á.Enciso, E.Orzusa, W.Mendieta; E.Prono, J. Ortigoza
Subs: C.Dominguez for E.Orzusa, M.Duré for W.Mendieta
Subs: J.Abente for J.P.Raponi, Y.Cano for P.Gímenez, N.Cuevas for C.Cáceres Cañete
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Tacuary vs Cerro Porteño Estadio Defensores del Chaco (2-2) 2-4 – Jorge Ortega 21’ & 26’; Edgar Benitez 31’ & 58’, Santiago Salcedo 43’, Jonathan Fabbro 90’
Cerro scoring four goals and winning is no surprise but it was a shock to see them go behind on 21 minutes and alarm bells were ringing in the azulgrana ranks when they were two goals down just five minutes later. Jorge Ortega the impressive young striker was the author of both strikes as he moves onto four for the season, equalling his tally in last year’s Clausura.
But Cerro’s lethal attacking combination was enough to put them into the break on level terms, Edgar Benitez has been the best player of the Apertura so far and his goal was accompanied by teammate’s Santiago Salcedo’s. Benitez grabbed another on 58 minutes as Cerro completed the remarkable turnaround. It was only left for Jonathan Fabbro, now relegated to ‘supersub’ status by Mario Grana, to complete the scoring in the final minute to seal victory.
Subs: G.Vieira for P.Palacios, C.Mora for S.Alvarenga, E.Ortiz for R.Román
Cerro Porteño XI: D.Barreto; M.Corujo, M.Uglessich, L.Cardozo, W.López; J.Rojas, J.Dos Santos, A. González y É. Benítez; S.Salcedo, R.Nanni
Subs: P.Benitez for W.Lopez, J.Fabbro for R.Nanni, F.Oviedo for J.Dos Santos
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OFF THE BALL
Player of the Week: Was it Jorge Ortega for his two goals or Pajaro Benitez for his double, Martin Silva for another superman display? Vote for these players or anybody you feel deserves the award below!
Team of the Week: As above open to your suggestions, post them below!
Stat of the Week: 435.195.000 guaranies, just over 100.000 US dollars were the combined gate receipts from the two games at the Defensores del Chaco at the weekend. The national team stadium makes a welcome return as it was Guaraní and Tacuary who were the ‘home’ teams to profit.
Primera Results: Nacional 2-1 Cerro PF, Rubio Ñu 2-1 Independiente, Guaraní 0-1 Olimpia, Sol de América 2-3 Luque, Tacuary 2-4 Cerro Porteño, Libertad 1-1 Carapeguá
Intermedia Results: 3 de Febrero 4-2 Gral. Caballero, Atl. River Plate 0-2 Dvo. Santaní, Atl. Colegiales 1-1 Dvo. Capiatá, Gral. Diaz 1-0 Sport Colombia, Sp. San Lorenzo 1-0 Resistencia, Sp. Trinidense 0-1 Sp. 2 de Mayo, Sp. Iteño 1-1 Paranaense, 29 de Septiembre 1-0 Fndo. de la Mora
Unfortunately time dictates I won’t be able to do a weekly update from Paraguay’s second tier the “Intermedia” but if you speak Spanish I highly recommend MIP which is dedicated to the division. However as we are in the opening weekend it seems fitting to report briefly on what is going on.
Last year’s nearly men Deportivos Santiní and Capiatá were joined by relegated 3 de Febrero and General Caballero, the new boys were the winners of Paraguay’s regional tournament Interligas. That pits the best players from the leagues in the various ‘departments’ of Paraguay and last year’s winners were Paranaense from the Eastern limit of the country. The 2010 Interligas winners were Carapeguá who now find themselves with the big boys in Primera.
Paranaense promoted from Interligas - Photo: D10.com.py
The opening game was between the biggest club in the north of the country Pedro Juan Caballero’s 2 de Mayo and the largest of Asunción’s satellite cities Sportivo San Lorenzo. The away side picked up a notable 4-1 win in the Rio Parapití to get their campagin off to a wonderful start with all four strikes from Juan Andres Noguera ‘The black diamond’.
The other televised match was Gral. Caballero against Fernando de la Mora, again the visiting side was victorious this time 2-1 and despite being reduced to ten men early on. The goals for the winning side coming from Julio López and Derlis Yaharí.
In Ciudad del Este the favourites to come back up, 3 de Febrero lost to the side from Asunción’s historic suburb Sportivo Trinidense with a last minute winner from Cornelio Vargas. Unfortunately Trinidense reported via Twitter that annoyed fans of “3″ had attacked the supporter’s bus injuring two adults and one child. They have reported this to the police.
Week 1 Results
Gral.Caballero 1 – 2 Fernando de la Mora, Paranaense FC 4 – 3 29 de Setiembre, Sport Colombia 1 – 1 Sportivo Iteño, Deportivo Capiatá 0 – 4 General Díaz, Deportivo Santaní 2 – 1 Colegiales, Resistencia 3 – 0 River Plate, 2 de Mayo 1 – 4 San Lorenzo, 3 de Febrero 0 – 1 Trinidense
A brief re-cap of the goings on in Paraguayan football this weekend.
Remember Arnaldo Samaniego the referee who sent off 7 players in one game last season? He was assaulted at a petrol station in Capiata just outside Asunción on Saturday by Cerro Porteño ‘fans’. The official was topping up gas when a group of 40 angry youths set upon him before police were called. Samaniego was treated in hospital but was not badly hurt, he notoriously gave Olimpia a very controversial spot kick which some Cerro fans believe cost them the league title.
The only competitive football this weekend was the Interligas Final, the representative sides of Coronel Oviedo (Ovetense) and Alto Parana (Paranaense) battled it out in searing heat on Sunday afternoon in Luque for a place in the Intermedia. At full time the score was 1-1 and the game would go straight to penalties, Paranaense’s chairman was sent off having vented his anger over the equaliser (looked like handball) to the referee. Police and the coaching staff also clashed in ugly scenes. Ultimately justice was done as Paranaense won the shootout 4-3 following a superb save (his second) by Paranaense’s goalkeeper Victor Samudio on the penultimate penalty.
Courtesy of D10.com.py
And Finally: Jonathan Fabbro has a new song – he’s recorded it with the cumbia band Talento del Barrio, check it out!
It is one of the stories most resonant with Paraguayan football, two years ago today with the Albirroja qualified for the World Cup later that year the topscorer in CONMEBOL qualifying and the side’s talisman Salvador Cabañas was ruled out injured but in the most shocking of circumstances. The forward, then at Club America in Mexico, was shot in the head by JJ Balderas Garza a man with strong ties to drugs trafficking in a Mexico City bar and left for dead. Cabañas however, to the delight of 6 million Paraguayans, confounded JJ and survived the gunshot wound.
It was a long road to recovery, at first just being able to talk, then remember what happened that fateful night and even remember the incredible achievements he had made with both the national side and Club America where he earned the unique distinction of finishing Copa Libertadores top goalscorer in consecutive seasons. From the offset Cabañas spoke with determination of returning to professional football and two years later the incredible story has taken another giant step.
He watched the 2010 World Cup in his family home, however he trained with his former teammates in the build up to the 2011 Copa America and in October 2011 played 15 minutes for both sides in his testimonial between Paraguay and Club America. Throughout the rest of 2011 ‘El Mariscal’ continued training with Paraguayan first division club Libertad and news arrived from doctors that he was clear to play football from a medical perspective. “The player [Cabañas] has no problem heading the ball” commented doctor Luis Geinner who also confirmed that there is no chance the bullet would be dislodged from a clash of heads or similar “the projectile is permanently lodged in one zone and won’t migrate”
Cabañas at recent World Cup Qualifier vs Ecuador
Salvador Cabañas’ patience, dedication and pure ‘garra’ was finally rewarded earlier this month when 12 de Octubre, the club he started his career with in his home town of Itaguá, confirmed they would incorporate him into their squad for the upcoming season pending clearance from Club America (who technically still own the player). On Friday 20th January he came on for 15 minutes for his new side in a friendly against a Combined Free Agents XI and it could be just a matter of months until we see the Guaraní idol back in competitive football. A true modern-day miracle.
