Teams can win and lose titles after they complete the 90 minutes. VAR has increased stoppage time. When fatigue sets in and tempers rise, chaos is always possible. This happened over the weekend, impacting the outcome of the Paraguayan championship — the kind of late drama that keeps football fans glued to every second, much like bettors refreshing their 22Bet login during tight matches.
The two title contenders faced off directly on the last matchday. Traditional giants Cerro Porteño needed a draw.
Guaraní needed all three points — and with home support and an early red card in their favor, they quickly found themselves with an extra man. After VAR reviewed it, the referee sent off full-back Alan Benítez of Cerro. Down to ten players, Cerro Porteño fell behind by two goals shortly after halftime. When the second one came, the TV pundit exclaimed: “Guaraní champions!”
At that stage, a Cerro Porteño comeback felt almost unimaginable.
A comeback felt very unlikely, nearly impossible, as the game went into stoppage time. With a two-goal lead and a player advantage, Guaraní simply needed to stay calm and see out the remaining minutes.
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But then the fun and games started. Cerro Porteño strived to apply late pressure. They won a corner. But the nearness of a historic win rattled Guaraní. Rodri Ferreira went down behind the goal, apparently injured, adding to the tension.
Keeper Gaspar Servio tried a sneaky move. It looked like “game smarts,” but it was so obvious that it seemed foolish. He pulled Ferreira back onto the field. He tried to drag the full-back back onto the pitch, hoping it would force a stoppage for treatment and waste precious seconds. The referee was not having it—correctly. Goalkeepers in South American football frequently fake injuries to waste time.
But this time, Servio had no excuse — already on a yellow, his antics earned him a second and an early exit. With all substitutions used, defender Marcos Cáceres was forced to take over in goal. The hosts’ situation worsened after that.
During the tense stoppage time, the referee showed a yellow card to Guarani’s defender Roberto Fernandez; it was his second, and he went away. And then Guaraní had a defender standing between the posts, while their remaining centre-back was also off. With the 10-vs-9 advantage, Cerro Porteño surged forward relentlessly. Caceres in goal inspired little confidence. The patched-up defense was a nervous wreck. In two wild minutes, Alberto Espinola scored a goal. Then, Guarani made a strong attack. Cerro regained the ball, moved it upfield, and Espinola set up Jair Patino, who headed it in at the far post.
Patino, who had been booked earlier, celebrated wildly after scoring and was promptly shown a second yellow. The match finished with both teams down to nine men, and Cerro Porteño clinched the title at the final whistle. The players of Guarani surrounded him.
The referee seemed to be struck by an assistant coach amid the chaos, yet he bore no responsibility. Guaraní collapsed under the pressure, undone by their inability to handle how close they were to glory. They wanted to win too much.