The following article presents a summary of the 1998 football (soccer) season in Paraguay.
First division results
editTorneo Apertura
editThe Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 10 | 25 |
| 2 | Sportivo Luqueño | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 21 |
| 3 | Olimpia | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 20 |
| 4 | Presidente Hayes | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 16 |
| 5 | Guaraní | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| 6 | 12 de Octubre | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| 7 | Sol de América | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 13 |
| 8 | Cerro Corá | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 12 |
| 9 | Atl. Colegiales | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 12 |
| 10 | San Lorenzo | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 12 |
| 11 | Nacional | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 10 |
| 12 | Libertad | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
Apertura playoff stage
editThe top eight teams qualified to this stage and were given bonus points based on their final standing in the table. Two groups of four teams were made, with the top two of each group advancing to a playoff stage.
Group stage
editGroup A
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | [2] | 8 |
| 2 | Sol de América | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | [0] | 6 |
| 3 | Guaraní | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | [1] | 5 |
| 4 | Sportivo Luqueño | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | [2.5] | 3.5 |
Group B
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | [3] | 12 |
| 2 | 12 de Octubre | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | [0.5] | 4.5 |
| 3 | Cerro Corá | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | [0] | 4 |
| 4 | Presidente Hayes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | [1.5] | 1.5 |
Semifinals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olimpia | 4 - 2 | 12 de Octubre | 3-1 | 1-1 |
| Sol de América | 1 - 1 (7 - 6 P.K.) |
Cerro Porteño | 1-0 | 0-1 |
Apertura final
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olimpia | 3 - 1 | Sol de América | 2-0 | 1-1 |
Olimpia wins the Apertura tournament final by aggregate score of 3-1.
Torneo Clausura
editThe Clausura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Clausura champion.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 9 | 26 |
| 2 | Guaraní | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 15 | 21 |
| 3 | Cerro Corá | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 18 |
| 4 | Atl. Colegiales | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 5 | 12 de Octubre | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 15 |
| 6 | Sol de América | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 13 |
| 7 | * Nacional | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 23 | 13 |
| 8 | Olimpia | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| 9 | San Lorenzo | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 11 |
| 10 | Sportivo Luqueño | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 11 |
| 11 | Libertad | 11 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| 12 | Presidente Hayes | 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 8 |
* Nacional finished in the top eight but their average points over three years forced the team to be relegated so they did not take part of the playoff stage. San Lorenzo took their place instead.
Clausura playoff stage
editThe top eight teams qualified to this stage and were given bonus points based on their final standing in the table. Two groups of four teams were made, with the top two of each group advancing to a playoff stage. San Lorenzo replaced Nacional in the playoff stage due to Nacional being relegated to the second division.
Group stage
editGroup A
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | [3] | 12 |
| 2 | Atlético Colegiales | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | [1.5] | 5.5 |
| 3 | San Lorenzo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | [0] | 3 |
| 4 | Sol de América | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | [1.5] | 0.5 |
Group B
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | [0] | 7 |
| 2 | Cerro Corá | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | [2] | 7 |
| 3 | Guaraní | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | [2.5] | 6.5 |
| 4 | 12 de Octubre | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | [1] | 1 |
Semifinals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Corá | 1 - 3 | Cerro Porteño | 1-0 | 0-3 |
| Olimpia | 6 - 1 | Atlético Colegiales | 5-0 | 1-1 |
Clausura final
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Porteño | 4 - 4 (4 - 3 P.K.) |
Olimpia | 1-4 | 3-0 |
Cerro P. wins the Clausura tournament final on penalty shootout 4-3.
National championship game
editThe national championship game was played between the Apertura and Clausura tournaments winners.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Porteño | 3 - 5 | Olimpia | 2-2 | 1-3 |
Olimpia declared as national champions by aggregate score of 5-3.
Relegation / Promotion
edit- Nacional and Libertad automatically relegated to the second division after finishing last and second-to-last in the average points table based over a three-year period.
- Resistencia promoted to the first division by winning the second division tournament.
Qualification to international competitions
edit- Olimpia qualified to the 1999 Copa Libertadores by winning the Torneo Apertura.
- Cerro Porteño qualified to the 1999 Copa Libertadores by winning the Torneo Clausura.
Lower divisions results
edit| Level | Tournament | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Intermedia | Resistencia |
| 3rd (G.A. teams) | Primera de Ascenso | Oriental |
| 3rd (interior teams) | UFI Champions Cup | Sportivo Obrero (San Juan Misiones) |
| 4th (G.A. teams) | Segunda de Ascenso | Sport Colonial |
Paraguayan teams in international competitions
edit- Copa Libertadores 1998:
- Cerro Porteño: Semi-finals
- Olimpia: Round of 16
- Copa MERCOSUR 1998:
- Olimpia: Semi-finals
- Cerro Porteño: Group stage
- Copa CONMEBOL 1998:
- Cerro Corá: First round
The following table lists all the games played by the Paraguay national football team in official competitions during 1998.
References
edit- Paraguay 1998 by Eli Schmerler, Andy Bolander and Juan Pablo Andrés at RSSSF
- Diario ABC Color