Bolivia 0 - 2 Paraguay: Almirón Scores Early and Again After the Restart

Paraguay beat Bolivia 2-0 on September 27 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., with Miguel Almirón scoring in the 17th minute and again in the 48th minute. Simple result, clear message: G. Alfaro’s side had the cleaner attacking package, the sharper timing, and the match-winner Bolivia could not contain.

For U. Saucedo, this was a friendly only on paper. Bolivia needed rhythm, confidence, and signs that the 3-5-2 could give Miguelito — listed in the squad as Miguel Terceros — and Fernando Nava enough support. They got effort, they got changes, and they got a penalty in the 75th minute. They did not get a goal. Miguelito’s missed penalty summed up the night: Bolivia found a route back into the match, then let it pass.

Paraguay did not need volume. They needed precision. Almirón provided it twice.

Set-ups and Starting XIs

Bolivia started in a 3-5-2 under U. Saucedo.

Bolivia XI: Guillermo Viscarra; Efraín Morales, Luis Haquín, Diego Arroyo; Diego Medina, Héctor Cuellar, Carlos Melgar, Gabriel Villamil, Roberto Fernández; Miguelito, Fernando Nava.

Paraguay started in a 4-4-2 under G. Alfaro.

Paraguay XI: Gastón Olveira; Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete, Alexandro Maidana; Maurício, Diego Gómez, Andrés Cubas, Miguel Almirón; Robert Morales, Julio Enciso.

The contrast was immediate. Bolivia had numbers across midfield and width from the back line, but Paraguay’s 4-4-2 gave them better reference points. Robert Morales and Julio Enciso were close enough to link play, while Almirón had the freedom to attack the spaces Bolivia’s wide defenders had to leave when they stepped out.

The first goal arrived in the 17th minute. Almirón scored, with Robert Morales supplying the assist. That was the decisive early break, and it forced Bolivia to chase a match they had wanted to manage.

Bolivia’s irritation showed soon after. Héctor Cuellar was booked in the 21st minute for a foul. Paraguay then had Maurício booked in the 30th minute, also for a foul, but the match still suited them. They were ahead, compact, and waiting for the next clean opening.

Almirón, Morales and Enciso Made the Difference

Almirón was the headline because he scored both goals. But Paraguay’s attacking triangle mattered.

Robert Morales assisted the opener in the 17th minute, then stayed involved until he was replaced by Alex Arce in the 61st minute. Julio Enciso assisted the second goal in the 48th minute, just after the interval, when Bolivia were trying to reset the match. That timing mattered as much as the finish.

Bolivia had made two half-time changes, with Jesús Maraude replacing Fernando Nava in the 46th minute and Ramiro Vaca replacing Carlos Melgar in the 46th minute. Paraguay also changed at the same time, with Mathias Villasanti coming on for Andrés Cubas in the 46th minute.

Then, two minutes after the restart, Paraguay scored again. Almirón, assisted by Enciso, made it 2-0 in the 48th minute. That goal changed the friendly from a contest into a control exercise for Alfaro.

From there, Paraguay could manage risk. Robert Morales was booked in the 53rd minute, Omar Alderete in the 58th minute, and Alfaro reacted with a heavy rotation. Matías Galarza replaced Alderete in the 61st minute, Ramón Sosa replaced Maurício in the 61st minute, and Alex Arce replaced Robert Morales in the 61st minute. José Canale then replaced Diego Gómez in the 63rd minute.

That sequence told the story of Paraguay’s position: protect players, refresh legs, keep the structure intact. In match terms, the work was done.

Bolivia’s Missed Route Back

Saucedo also moved. Yomar Rocha replaced Diego Medina in the 63rd minute, an attempt to reshape the right side and push Bolivia forward. But Paraguay already had the cushion.

The major Bolivian chance came in the 75th minute, when Miguelito missed a penalty. It was the one incident that could have changed the final stretch. At 2-1, the last quarter-hour becomes nervous. At 2-0, Paraguay could breathe.

Alfaro then removed his decisive pair. Enso González replaced Miguel Almirón in the 71st minute, and Gustavo Caballero replaced Julio Enciso in the 71st minute. That was the green light for Paraguay to close the game without their two main attacking contributors on the pitch.

Clever Ferreira replaced Gustavo Gómez in the 78th minute, further underlining Paraguay’s control of the match state. Bolivia’s late changes came in a block in the 88th minute: Robson Matheus replaced Gabriel Villamil, José Flores replaced Miguelito, Richet Gomez replaced Efraín Morales, and Marcelo Torrez replaced Diego Arroyo.

By then the match had gone.

Gabriel Villamil’s yellow card in the 84th minute was the final disciplinary mark for Bolivia, a late sign of frustration on a night when the ball and the scoreline would not bend their way.

Match Events

• 17th minute: Miguel Almirón scored for Paraguay, assisted by Robert Morales.
• 21st minute: Héctor Cuellar was shown a yellow card.
• 30th minute: Maurício was shown a yellow card.
• 46th minute: Jesús Maraude replaced Fernando Nava for Bolivia.
• 46th minute: Ramiro Vaca replaced Carlos Melgar for Bolivia.
• 46th minute: Mathias Villasanti replaced Andrés Cubas for Paraguay.
• 48th minute: Miguel Almirón scored for Paraguay, assisted by Julio Enciso.
• 53rd minute: Robert Morales was shown a yellow card.
• 58th minute: Omar Alderete was shown a yellow card.
• 61st minute: Matías Galarza replaced Omar Alderete for Paraguay.
• 61st minute: Ramón Sosa replaced Maurício for Paraguay.
• 61st minute: Alex Arce replaced Robert Morales for Paraguay.
• 63rd minute: Yomar Rocha replaced Diego Medina for Bolivia.
• 63rd minute: José Canale replaced Diego Gómez for Paraguay.
• 71st minute: Enso González replaced Miguel Almirón for Paraguay.
• 71st minute: Gustavo Caballero replaced Julio Enciso for Paraguay.
• 75th minute: Miguelito missed a penalty for Bolivia.
• 78th minute: Clever Ferreira replaced Gustavo Gómez for Paraguay.
• 84th minute: Gabriel Villamil was shown a yellow card.
• 88th minute: Robson Matheus replaced Gabriel Villamil for Bolivia.
• 88th minute: José Flores replaced Miguelito for Bolivia.
• 88th minute: Richet Gomez replaced Efraín Morales for Bolivia.
• 88th minute: Marcelo Torrez replaced Diego Arroyo for Bolivia.

Statistics

The official match statistics feed did not provide values for shots, shots on goal, possession, corners, fouls, passes, expected goals, saves, or goals prevented. The confirmed data below comes from the score and event feed.

What It Means

For Paraguay, this was a clean friendly win built on the kind of attacking clarity Alfaro wants: Almirón finishing, Morales and Enciso supplying, and the squad deep enough to rotate heavily after the lead was secured.

For Bolivia, the problem was not only the defeat. It was the timing. Conceding in the 17th minute damaged the first-half plan, conceding again in the 48th minute damaged the restart, and missing a penalty in the 75th minute killed the comeback.

This was not a night for sweeping conclusions, but it did sharpen the next questions. Paraguay leave Washington with Almirón’s form confirmed and Alfaro’s structure reinforced. Bolivia leave with work to do, especially in turning possession and pressure into real scoreboard damage.

For more on the international window, see Mexico vs Peru Preview: Aguirre and Ibáñez Get a Proper Neutral-Ground Test.