Independiente Petrolero took three points from Guabirá at the Estadio Víctor Agustín Ugarte on Thursday evening, closing out a 3-1 victory in the Primera División Apertura. The home side had been struggling for consistency, losing 0-3 to Nacional Potosí just five days earlier, but the result puts them level on points with their visitors. Both clubs sit on 25 points after 17 games, separated only by goal difference.
The match opened with energy and Petrolero took the lead through Pedro in the 20th minute, running the show in those early exchanges. Guabirá should have responded, but C. Anez turned the ball into his own net in the 39th minute to double the advantage. By then the visitors had already lost their shape, and the momentum had shifted decisively.
Guabirá made three changes at half-time, bringing on S. Torres, G. Alvarez and J. Villavicencio in a bid to get back into the contest. The introduction worked briefly, with G. Cristaldo pulling one back for Petrolero in the 56th minute after a mistake in the visitors' defence. But Guabirá then handed away another goal when J. Flores turned the ball into his own goal in the 69th minute.
And here's the thing about the final quarter — Petrolero should have added a fourth when D. Rojas had a goal cancelled for offside in the 89th minute. The visitors had created more big chances throughout the match, four compared to one, but they couldn't convert. The substitution pattern showed Petrolero closing the game out rather than chasing, bringing on Willie in the 86th minute.
The statistics tell an interesting story. Petrolero held 52 per cent possession and completed 407 passes, but Guabirá created more opportunities from deeper positions. The hosts registered 102 attacks compared to 58, yet the visitors produced 10 key passes against 9. Shots accuracy sat identical at 36 per cent for both sides, though Guabirá had 4 shots on target to Petrolero's 5.
The result keeps both teams in the hunt for the top positions, though neither can claim dominance just yet. Petrolero's victory ends a run of mixed results that included that heavy defeat to Nacional Potosí. Guabirá, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in their last five league games but will rue the missed chances and defensive errors that cost them points.
