Alderete Fuels Albirroja’s Triumph Against Chile

Omar Alderete’s second goal for Paraguay at the international senior level propelled his team to third in the CONMEBOL standings for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (WCQ), as they triumphed over Chile at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco.

Chile, facing the looming threat of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup, displayed a resolute defensive performance during the opening fifteen minutes in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital.

This early lift in confidence allowed La Roja to carve out two significant chances to score.

Unfortunately for them, Lucas Cepeda and Alexander Aravena were unable to capitalise, as both of their attempts went off target.

The game’s first goal nearly arrived in the 28th minute, but Roberto Fernandez’s strong palm kept Cepeda’s shot from finding the corner of the net.

Despite a promising approach in the early stages, Paraguay managed only one shot on target in the first half, with Junior Alonso’s header being expertly saved by Brayan Cortes.

However, shortly after the restart, the hosts pressed hard for the opening goal, with Cortés making an outstanding save to deny Ramon Sosa.

The pressure finally paid off for Paraguay, who broke the deadlock just before the hour mark.

Antonio Sanabria’s powerful header from the penalty spot set the stage for Alderete to find the net with a fierce strike from close range.

Julio Enciso could have doubled the lead as the clock wound down, but the Ipswich Town loanee squandered his chance, sending a wayward shot past the post from inside the box.

With this victory, Paraguay remains unbeaten in their last seven matches (W4, D3), and sits comfortably in the automatic qualification zone for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, boasting a seven-point lead.

On the flip side, Chile finds themselves just above Peru in the standings, still in search of their first away victory in this qualification cycle, having drawn once and lost six times.