Puerto Nuevo — Deportivo Paraguayo: 2:3, Primera C

Deportivo Paraguayo earned a 3:2 victory over Puertoreño in the First Division C, round 29, played on 20 September 2026. The hosts led twice through J. P. Mendoza before the match turned, and the visitors seized the lead and held on. By then the result seemed inevitable after the red card.

Mendoza opened the scoring in the second minute and doubled Puertoreño's advantage in the 54th. The home side controlled 62 per cent of possession and registered 147 attacks to 120, but the momentum shifted abruptly. Cahiza was sent off in the 56th, and here's the thing — the away team had already shown they could punish a mistake.

Deportivo Paraguayo responded with three goals in quick succession. Ortiz struck in the 70th, Lopez Rinaldi added a second in the 76th, and Escobar sealed it in the 82nd. Both sides registered six shots on target and three off target each, but the visitors made them count. A second red card for Puertoreño in stoppage time ended any faint hope of a comeback.

The result leaves Puertoreño seventh with 38 points from 28 games, while Deportivo Paraguayo remain 13th on 27 points. The hosts have not won since their 3:0 victory over Leandro N. Alem, whereas the visitors have won two of their last five. To be fair, the away side had already demonstrated resilience against stronger opponents this season.

What matters for the table is the gap between the sides. Puertoreño hold a seven-point cushion, but the pattern of results suggests that advantage is not secure. The visitors were dominant in the air from set plays, as the corner count — three each — indicates. This was not a spectacle, but a match decided by three moments.