ASUNCIÓN (Interstat) — Fernando Diaz scored twice and Resistencia used a second-half surge to beat Benjamin Aceval 5-2 on Monday in a global football match. Resistencia, the home team, improved to 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw in this competition and across all competitions. Benjamin Aceval fell to 0 wins and 3 losses in this competition and across all competitions. The match produced seven goals, with Resistencia scoring once before halftime and then adding four more after the break while Benjamin Aceval scored twice in the second half. Diaz led Resistencia, while Osvaldo Arguello scored both of Benjamin Aceval’s goals. Resistencia’s victory came after it had opened its season with a draw and a win, while Benjamin Aceval remained winless after three matches.

Resistencia opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Stevens Gomez scored. Benjamin Aceval answered in the 54th minute through Arguello, leveling the match. Resistencia regained the lead in the 66th minute on Edsson Riveros’s goal. Diaz then scored in the 75th minute to make it 3-1, and Jose Reguera added another Resistencia goal in the 77th minute. Arguello scored his second goal for Benjamin Aceval in the 79th minute, cutting the deficit to 4-2, but Diaz closed the scoring in the 82nd minute with his second goal of the match. Resistencia led 1-0 at halftime before the teams combined for six goals in the second half. The goals came in a sequence that saw Resistencia score three times in a seven-minute span from the 75th to the 82nd minute, with Benjamin Aceval’s second goal sandwiched between Diaz’s two strikes. Resistencia’s five goals came from Gomez, Riveros, Diaz twice and Reguera, while Arguello scored both of Benjamin Aceval’s goals.

Diaz was Resistencia’s top star with a statline of 90 minutes and two goals. He had also scored in Resistencia’s previous match, a 2-1 victory at CS Carapegua. In that previous match at CS Carapegua, Diaz also played 90 minutes and scored once. Arguello matched Diaz’s two-goal output for Benjamin Aceval while playing 90 minutes, with his goals coming in the 54th and 79th minutes. Gomez and Riveros each played 90 minutes and scored once for Resistencia. Gomez’s goal opened the scoring, and Riveros’s second-half strike put Resistencia ahead for good. The key performances were led by Diaz, followed by Arguello, Gomez and Riveros.

Benjamin Aceval had lost its previous two matches this season, falling to Sol de America 1-0 and to CD Capiata 3-1. Resistencia had beaten CS Carapegua 2-1 and drawn 1-1 with 12 de Junio in its previous two matches. The result continued Resistencia’s unbeaten start in this competition and across all competitions, while Benjamin Aceval remained without a win. Resistencia’s record in this competition is 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, and its record across all competitions is 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw. Benjamin Aceval’s record in this competition is 0 wins and 3 losses, and its record across all competitions is 0 wins and 3 losses. Resistencia has now played three matches in this competition and three matches across all competitions. Benjamin Aceval has also played three matches in this competition and three matches across all competitions. The visiting side has lost to Sol de America, CD Capiata and Resistencia, while the home side has beaten CS Carapegua and Benjamin Aceval and drawn with 12 de Junio in the available results this season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Resistencia 2, Benjamin Aceval 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Resistencia with an 83.8 percent probability to win. Resistencia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 7 went under the over/under line of 2.5.