Deportivo Recoleta and Nacional Asunción met in the third round of the Clausura on Sunday evening, and the hosts produced a remarkable recovery to win 3:2 at their own ground. Nacional had taken control after half-time, but three goals in the closing stages turned the match on its head. The result leaves both sides level on four points, though Deportivo move into sixth place while Nacional remain fifth.
W. Baez gave Deportivo the early lead in the sixth minute, a sharp response after Nacional had started brightly. The visitors equalised through H.A. Benitez in the eighteenth, his first of the evening, and that goal stood as the half-time score. Deportivo looked comfortable enough, but Nacional's possession advantage — 55 per cent — told in the longer view.
By then the momentum had shifted. Benitez doubled his tally in the fifty-seventh minute, and Nacional led 3:1. And here's the thing: Deportivo did not collapse. J. Falcon came on in the fifty-ninth, and within four minutes H. Lopez pulled one back. Three goals in seven minutes, and suddenly the match was alive again.
P. Charpentier completed the turnaround in the seventy-fifth minute, and Nacional were left chasing shadows. The visitors made six substitutions, including P. Rios, J. Espinola, and D.J. Colman Escobar, but could not find an equaliser. Deportivo's two yellow cards in the eighty-fourth minute for A. Franco and R.C. Ramirez Antunez did little to dampen the mood.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over dominance. Nacional had 132 attacks to Deportivo's 93, and 18 shots to seven, but their accuracy of 26 per cent meant they wasted their chances. Deportivo hit 44 per cent, and their four shots on target produced three goals. Possession meant little when the final ball was missing.
Both sides enter the next round with four points from three games, and neither can claim superiority on this occasion. Deportivo had already shown vulnerability — a 4:1 defeat to Libertad Asunción on July thirtieth — and this victory may well be the foundation of something steadier. Nacional have been competitive, but they need to convert more of their pressure into goals if they are to climb the table.
