Deportivo Paraguayo secured a 2-1 victory over Juventud Unida in Primera C Regular Season round 25 on Friday evening. The hosts moved to within four points of their visitors at the expense of a side sitting fifth in the table. It was a result that ended a winless run for the home side, who had failed to score in three consecutive matches before this one.
M. Reinoso opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute, giving the home crowd something to cheer about. He worked a short corner to create space for himself, and the finish was clinical. «By then» the visitors looked slightly rattled, though they had not yet had a serious chance to respond.
The momentum shifted sharply in the second half. J. P. Mendoza levelled in the thirty-sixth minute, and I. Escobar turned the game on its head three minutes later. Two away goals in such a tight window meant the visitors felt they had the match won inside twenty minutes. «And here's the thing» — Deportivo Paraguayo did not panic.
The home side pulled the strings after that, raising the tempo when they needed to. Their attacking moves became more direct, and they stopped trying to build from the back. «To be fair» the visitors had nothing to do all evening after the third goal, and their confidence drained away.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over dominance. Deportivo Paraguayo held 41 per cent possession against 59 per cent for the visitors, yet they registered four shots on target to three. Juventud Unida unleashed nine shots off target compared with four for the hosts. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging — and that was the pattern on Friday.
The result moves Deportivo Paraguayo closer to safety, though they remain thirteen points adrift of the play-off positions. Juventud Unida stay fifth but will know they missed an opportunity to extend their lead over the teams around them. «By then» the home side had seen the game out, and the crowd roared them on through the final whistle.