Tacuary — Libertad Asunción, Copa Paraguay

Libertad edged past Tacuari 2-1 on penalties in the Round of 32 of the Copa Paraguay after a goalless ninety minutes. The away side advanced to the next stage following a tense shootout at the Estadio Tacuari on Thursday evening. The result ends a run of four unbeaten games for Tacuari but extends Libertad's momentum into the tournament.

The match turned on a moment in the thirty-ninth minute when J. Nieva received a red card for the home side. By then Tacuari had already shown their intent with one shot on target, though they managed only one off target effort throughout. Libertad dominated possession at seventy-four percent and created more chances, registering three shots on target against two for their opponents.

And here's the thing about the penalty shootout — it unfolded with a rhythm that surprised everyone watching. A. Valdez and L. Sanabria converted for Tacuari while J. Servin, L. Martinez and N. Freire failed to find the net. Libertad made no mistakes, with L. Nequecaur, P. Espinoza, R. Villalba, M. Nunez and E. Vera all scoring from the spot.

To be fair, the statistics tell a story that matches what happened on the pitch. Tacuari registered ninety-three attacks compared to Libertad's one hundred and twenty, but the visitors were far more clinical. One corner for the hosts against five for the visitors shows where the pressure sat for most of the game.

By then the game had taken on a different character altogether. The home side's recent form included a heavy 4-1 defeat to General Caballero, while Libertad had won their last two matches convincingly. The result puts them through while Tacuari must now regroup after a disappointing exit.