ASUNCIÓN (Interstat) — Nacional Asuncion scored twice in the closing stretch and beat home side Guarani 2-0 in a league match Saturday at Estadio Rogelio Silvino Livieres. The visitors broke through in the 75th minute and added another goal in second-half stoppage time, securing their second win of the campaign while leaving Guarani still searching for its first. The match remained scoreless through halftime, with both sides unable to convert their early chances. Nacional Asuncion then found the decisive opening after the break, and Guarani could not produce a response over the final minutes. Guarani, which was hosting the match, sought to build on a pair of draws earlier in the campaign, but the home side was kept off the scoreboard.

Ivan Valdez produced the decisive attacking line for Nacional Asuncion with one goal and one assist in 44 minutes. Ignacio Bailone also scored in 44 minutes of work, and A. Benitez H. recorded an assist in 90 minutes. Valdez opened the scoring in the 75th minute, and Bailone sealed the result in the 90th minute plus three. Benitez H. was credited with an assist on the night. Valdez’s goal and assist made him the central figure in the result, and Bailone’s stoppage-time strike removed any remaining doubt. Nacional Asuncion’s goals came late enough to deny Guarani a sustained chance to answer, and the visitors closed out the match without conceding.

The match grew physical at times. Nacional Asuncion’s Cardozo Lucena A. received a yellow card in the 27th minute, Guarani’s Mendez A. was booked in the 57th, and Nacional Asuncion’s Ramirez Antunez R. C. was cautioned in the 90th. Both sides made changes after the break. Nacional Asuncion made substitutions at the 46th minute involving Gaona Lugo O. and Cardozo Lucena A. Guarani made a 67th-minute substitution with Anasco M. Nacional Asuncion then brought on Colman Escobar D. J. in the 73rd. Guarani made three changes in the 77th involving Maldonado M., Cespedes V. and Recalde J. Guarani also brought on Gomez G. in the 85th. Nacional Asuncion completed its substitutions with Jara F. in the 89th and Benitez H. A. in the 90th minute plus four. The late flurry of changes interrupted the flow of the closing minutes, but Nacional Asuncion maintained its lead and protected the clean sheet. Nacional Asuncion’s discipline in the final minutes helped it navigate the added time after Ramirez Antunez R. C.’s caution and the final substitutions.

The result moved Nacional Asuncion to 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw in the competition, and its record across all competitions is also 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw. Guarani is now 0 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws in the competition, with the same 0 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws across all competitions. The home side pressed for an equalizer after falling behind, but Nacional Asuncion’s defense held and the visitors added the late clincher. Guarani’s previous results this season included a 2-2 draw at Libertad Asuncion and a 1-1 draw with San Lorenzo at home. Nacional Asuncion had beaten Recoleta 1-0 at home and drawn 1-1 at Olimpia Asuncion in its prior matches. Those results left Nacional Asuncion unbeaten coming into the match, while Guarani had opened the campaign with two draws before the defeat. The clean sheet was preserved through the final minutes, and Nacional Asuncion took the points from a match that had remained tight deep into the second half.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Guarani 2, Nacional Asuncion 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Guarani with a 78.2 percent probability to win. Guarani had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.25. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.25.