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Mathías Villasanti Scores After Nearly Two Years, But Gremio Falls to Bolívar
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

Mathías Villasanti Scores After Nearly Two Years, But Gremio Falls to Bolívar

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Gremio lost 3-2 to Bolívar in La Paz in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana playoffs, despite a goal from captain Mathías Villasanti.
  • Villasanti scored his first goal in nearly two years, leveling the match at 1-1 before Bolívar regained the lead.
  • The aggregate score remains open for the second leg in Porto Alegre, with the winner advancing to face São Paulo.

In a thrilling Copa Sudamericana playoff match, Bolívar secured a 3-2 victory over Gremio in La Paz, leaving the series tantalizingly poised for the second leg. The high-altitude clash saw an intense back-and-forth, with both teams exchanging blows in a first half that ended 2-2.

Bolívar won 3-2 against Gremio in La Paz. The Paraguayan Mathías Villasanti wore the captain's armband, ended his goal drought, and left the series open thinking about the rematch in Porto Alegre.

— ABC ColorSummarizing the match outcome and Villasanti's performance.

Paraguayan midfielder Mathías Villasanti, captaining Gremio, marked his return to scoring after nearly two years by netting the equalizer in the 16th minute. His goal canceled out Martín Cauteruccio's early opener for Bolívar. However, Bolívar quickly responded, with Robson Matheus restoring their lead just two minutes later. Gremio managed to level the score again through Tete in the 23rd minute, ensuring a level playing field at halftime.

The start of the match left no time to settle. Just 2 minutes in, forward Martín Cauteruccio surprised the visiting defense and scored the early 1-0 for the home team.

— ABC ColorDescribing Bolívar's opening goal.

The decisive moment came in the second half when Dairon Asprilla scored in the 58th minute to give Bolívar a 3-2 advantage. Despite Gremio's efforts to find an equalizer, Bolívar held on to their narrow lead, setting up a tense return fixture.

However, the 'Tricolor' Gaúcho reacted with their leader Mathías Villasanti, the captain, taking advantage of a lapse in the local defense in the 16th minute to send the ball into the net and score the partial 1-1, hitting the post of goalkeeper Carlos Lampe.

— ABC ColorDetailing Mathías Villasanti's goal.

The aggregate score of 3-2 means the tie is far from decided. Gremio will host Bolívar in Porto Alegre next Thursday, where the Brazilian side will need a victory to overturn the deficit and advance to the round of 16. The winner of this playoff will face São Paulo in the next stage of the continental competition.

The Brazilian joy lasted a sigh. Two minutes later (18th minute), Robson Matheus put Bolívar ahead again (2-1) in a flurry of dizzying transitions.

— ABC ColorDescribing Bolívar's second goal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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