Libreda Asunción edged Macara 1-0 at the Estadio Federativo Reina del Cisne in a League Pro Regular Season fixture on Monday. The result keeps the hosts in eighth place while the visitors remain third, though the gap between them narrows by a point. It was a match where one moment decided everything, and that moment arrived almost immediately.
Alfredo Chere opened the scoring in the fifth minute, capitalising on a defensive error that Macara would later regret. To be fair, both sides had their chances, but Libreda's efficiency in front of goal proved decisive. The visitors dominated possession at 63 per cent but could not find the net despite creating more attacks overall.
Three yellow cards for Libreda and two for Macara scattered the middle third of the game. The visitors' Santiago Etchebarne and host José Bravo both picked up bookings in the thirty-first minute, a sign of the physical contest that developed. By then, Macara had begun to throw everything at the Libreda defence, but the visitors' goalkeeper made four saves to keep his side ahead.
The statistics tell a familiar story of dominance without reward. Macara registered 116 attacks compared to Libreda's 64, yet only managed four shots on target. The visitors created zero big chances while Libreda mustered two. Chere was substituted in the seventy-sixth minute, replaced by Branda, and Libreda then sat deep to protect their advantage.
Five substitutions came in the final twenty minutes as both managers sought to change the game. Macara brought on two strikers but could not break down a Libreda side that had learned to defend its lead. The hosts finished with 198 successful passes against 408 for the visitors, but the result belonged to those who took their chance.
Libreda now sit on 37 points from 27 games, one behind Macara who have 45. The result extends Libreda's unbeaten run to five matches, following victories against Delfín, Musuc Runa, and Orense. Macara's unbeaten streak at home has been halted, and the visitors will have to wait until their next fixture to return to winning ways.