1-0: Sanabria gives Paraguay victory over Bolivia

The front Arnaldo Tony Sanabria became the sole purpose for which the selection of Paraguay surpassed Bolivia on the fourth day of the South American qualifiers for World Cup 2026.

In this result, those led by Daniel Garneroadded their first victory in the competition and reached four points in the classification.

Besides Albirroja He ended an extensive scoring drought in the South American World Cup qualifiers. The last time he scored a goal was on March 25, 2022, when he lost 3-1 against Ecuador in qualifying for Qatar 2022.

The home team controlled the ball from the start of the match and marked a clear offensive trend that lasted throughout the match.

The coach of La Verde, the Argentine Gustavo Costas He didn’t want to risk more than he had to and stopped a five-man defensive line.

For his part, the Paraguayan coach chose an offensive lineup, with Miguel Almirón, Alejandro Romero Gamarra and Ramón Sosawith Adam Bareiro in front.

Sosa had the clearest play of the first half in the 24th minute, in a one-on-one matchup with Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra, but he was unable to finish correctly.

Costas let him in Yeison Chura and Gabriel Villamil replaced Hector Cuella and Rodrigo Ramallo, respectively, at the start of the second half.

The Bolivian team defended as best they could against a Guaraní team that was already showing nervousness on the field.

gardener leave the field Romero Gamarra by Gabriel Ávalos, to refresh the lead.

And with the first ball he touched, the striker of Argentine Juniors He sent the ball behind the opposing goal. However, the Uruguayan judge Gustavo Tejer The action was invalid because the attacker touched the ball with his hand before the end of the play.

A few moments later, Starch he found himself alone at the front Viscarrabut he is defined very highly.

The Guaraní drought seems set to extend, given their players’ lack of intent to finish.

But, in the 69th minute Sanabria He had his first contact with the ball on the field and scored a goal, which exploded with joy the fans present in the stands of the Defensores del Chaco stadium.

Nothing changed until the final whistle weave, to the joy of the Paraguayans and to the sorrow of a Bolivian team that suffered its fourth straight defeat in the competition.

Data sheet:

1. Paraguay: Carlos Coronel; Alberto Espínola (Robert Rojas, d.67), Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete, Matías Espinoza; Álvaro Campuzano, Mathías Villasanti; Miguel Almirón, Alejandro Romero Gamarra (Gabriel Ávalos, m.61), Ramón Sosa (Héctor Villalba, m.47) and Adam Bareiro (Antonio Sanabria, m.67).

Selector: Daniel Garnero.

0. Bolivia: Guillermo Viscarra; Danny Bejarano, Carlos Roca (Marcelo Suárez, m.81), Luis Haquin, José Sagredo, Diego Medina; Moises Villaroel, Héctor Cuellar (Yeison Chura, m.46), Henry Vaca (Boris Céspedes, m.81); Marcelo Moreno Martins and Rodrigo Ramallo (Gabriel Villamil, d.46).

Selector: Gustavo Costas.

Purpose: 1-0, m.69: Antonio Sanabria.

Referee: Uruguayan Gustavo Tejer warned Moisés Villaroel, Carlos Roca, Henry Vaca, Adam Bareiro and Gabriel Villasmil.

Incidents: The match on the fourth day of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup was played at the Defensores del Chaco stadium, in Asunción.