Resistencia hosted Cerro Porteño in the Round of 32 of the Paraguay Cup on Thursday evening, and the visitors took all three points with a single goal. The match ended 0:1 after ninety minutes, with the decisive moment arriving well after the half-time whistle. By then it was already clear this would be a tight affair, and here's the thing — the opening exchanges suggested otherwise.
The closest Resistencia came to trouble was at the very end of the first half, when E. Riveros stepped up for a penalty in the 45+2nd minute and missed. The shot went wide, and the momentum shifted. You could feel the home side's frustration building, and they poured forward looking for an equaliser before the break.
Then came the 85th minute, when J. Morel found a way through to slot home the winner. It was a simple finish, but it arrived at precisely the moment Resistencia's legs were going. The high line was picked apart, and the visitors made no mistake when it mattered. To be fair, they had not looked like scoring throughout, but cup football has its own rules.
The statistics tell a story of control without dominance. Cerro Porteño held 60 per cent possession and registered 82 attacks compared to 62, yet they managed only one shot on target. Resistencia had four shots on target but could not convert, while the penalty miss became the defining moment. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and here's the thing — it was enough.
The result ends Resistencia's clean-sheet run and extends Cerro Porteño's away resilience, though they have not won since their last competitive fixture before this one. The visitors had lost 1:2 to Olimpia and 0:1 to Palmeiras in their previous two outings, so this narrow victory matters. Resistencia now face the task of bouncing back at home, where they have been solid of late.
