# 2008 in Paraguayan football

The following article presents a summary of the 2008 association football season in Paraguay. One of the most noticeable changes in the 2008 season is that the first division tournament will not longer have a single champion for the year; instead there will be two champions in the season, one being the winner of the Apertura tournament and the other being the winner of the Clausura tournament.

## First division results

The first division tournament was divided in two sections: the Apertura and the Clausura and had 12 teams participating in a two round all-play-all system. The team with the most points at the end of the two rounds was crowned as the champion.

### Torneo Apertura

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Libertad | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 53 | 13 | +40 | 57 |
| 2 | Nacional | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 45 |
| 3 | Cerro Porteño | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 38 |
| 4 | Guaraní | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 36 |
| 5 | 2 de Mayo | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 31 |
| 6 | Sol de América | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 27 |
| 7 | 3 de Febrero | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 27 |
| 8 | Olimpia | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 26 |
| 9 | Sportivo Luqueño | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 25 |
| 10 | Tacuary | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 34 | −10 | 23 |
| 11 | 12 de Octubre | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 29 | 40 | −11 | 20 |
| 12 | Silvio Pettirossi | 22 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 47 | −26 | 13 |

### Torneo Clausura

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Libertad | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 35 | 17 | +18 | 44 |
| 2 | Guaraní | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 17 | +19 | 43 |
| 3 | Cerro Porteño | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 26 | +6 | 37 |
| 4 | Sol de América | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 36 |
| 5 | Nacional | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 32 |
| 6 | Tacuary | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 31 |
| 7 | Olimpia | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 33 | 31 | +2 | 28 |
| 8 | 12 de Octubre | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 33 | −6 | 28 |
| 9 | 3 de Febrero | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 31 | −4 | 24 |
| 10 | Sportivo Luqueño | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 38 | −11 | 24 |
| 11 | 2 de Mayo | 22 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 33 | −7 | 22 |
| 12 | Silvio Pettirossi | 22 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 39 | −24 | 9 |

### Aggregate table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Libertad | 44 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 88 | 30 | +58 | 101 | Qualified to 2009 Copa Libertadores and 2009 Copa Sudamericana |
| 2 | Guaraní | 44 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 79 | Qualified to 2009 Copa Libertadores |
| 3 | Nacional | 44 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 77 | Qualified to 2009 Copa Libertadores |
| 4 | Cerro Porteño | 44 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 66 | 52 | +14 | 75 | Qualified to 2009 Copa Sudamericana |
| 5 | Sol de América | 44 | 19 | 6 | 19 | 77 | 69 | +8 | 63 | |
| 6 | Olimpia | 44 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 56 | 63 | −7 | 54 | |
| 7 | Tacuary | 44 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 54 | |
| 8 | 2 de Mayo | 44 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 53 | 59 | −6 | 53 | |
| 9 | 3 de Febrero | 44 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 59 | 71 | −12 | 51 | |
| 10 | Sportivo Luqueño | 44 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 60 | 82 | −22 | 49 | |
| 11 | 12 de Octubre | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 48 | |
| 12 | Silvio Pettirossi | 44 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 36 | 86 | −50 | 22 | |

### Qualification to international competitions

* Libertad qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores (by winning the Torneo Apertura and Clausura) and the 2009 Copa Sudamericana.
* Club Guaraní qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores as the second best finisher in the aggregate points table.
* Nacional qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores as the third best finisher in the aggregate points table.
* Cerro Porteño qualified to the 2009 Copa Sudamericana as the fourth best finisher in the aggregate points table.

## Relegation

The team with the worst average points over the last three years is automatically relegated to the second division league, and the second-worst team plays a playoff match against the second division runner-up. The winner of the playoff match plays in the first division the following year.
| Team | Average | Points | Played | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Libertad | 2.179 | 279 | 126 | 83/40 | 95/44 | 101/44 |
| Cerro Porteño | 2.023 | 259 | 126 | 92/40 | 92/44 | 75/44 |
| Nacional | 1.484 | 190 | 126 | 53/40 | 60/44 | 77/44 |
| Olimpia | 1.406 | 180 | 126 | 50/40 | 76/44 | 54/44 |
| Sol de América | 1.363 | 120 | 86 | N/A | 57/44 | 63/44 |
| Sportivo Luqueño | 1.335 | 171 | 126 | 56/40 | 66/44 | 49/44 |
| Tacuary | 1.335 | 171 | 126 | 66/40 | 51/44 | 54/44 |
| Guaraní | 1.265 | 162 | 126 | 42/40 | 41/44 | 79/44 |
| 2 de Mayo | 1.126 | 142 | 126 | 58/40 | 34/44 | 50/42 |
| 12 de Octubre | 1.132 | 145 | 126 | 42/40 | 49/44 | 53/44 |
| 3 de Febrero | 1.062 | 136 | 126 | 36/40 | 49/44 | 51/44 |
| Silvio Pettirossi | 0.500 | 22 | 42 | N/A | N/A | 22/44 |
* To promotion game (against second division runner-up)
* Relegated to Liga Paraguaya: Segunda División
* Last Updated: December 24, 2008. * League Stats (in Spanish)

### Promotion game

The promotion was played between 3 de Febrero and the second division runner-up General Caballero ZC. The first game ended with a 3-0 score favorable to 3 de Febrero, while the second finished 2-1 in favor of General Caballero. Since the aggregate score was 4-2 for 3 de Febrero, they remain in the first division.

## Paraguayan teams in international competitions

| Team | Copa Libertadores 2008 | Copa Sudamericana 2008 |
| Libertad | Group Stage (finished 4th in the group) | First Round (eliminated by Defensor Sporting) |
| Club Sportivo Luqueño | Group Stage (finished 3rd in the group) | N/A |
| Cerro Porteño | Preliminary Round (eliminated by Cruzeiro) | N/A |
| Olimpia | N/A | First Round (eliminated by Universidad Católica) |

## Paraguay national team

The following table lists all the games played by the Paraguay national football team in official competitions during 2008.
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Comp | Paraguay scorers | Report |
| February 7, 2008 | | Honduras | 2 - 0 | Friendly | | |
| March 27, 2008 | | South Africa | 3 - 0 | Friendly | | |
| May 22, 2008 | Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium Japan | Ivory Coast | 1 - 1 | 2008 Kirin Cup | Cristian Bogado 77' | |
| May 27, 2008 | Saitama Stadium 2002 Japan | Japan | 0 - 0 | 2008 Kirin Cup | | |
| June 1, 2008 | Stadium Municipal France | France | 0 - 0 | Friendly | | |
| June 15, 2008 | Defensores del Chaco Asunción, Paraguay | Brazil | 2 - 0 | WCQ 2010 | Santa Cruz 26' Cabañas 49' | Report |
| June 18, 2008 | Estadio Hernando Siles La Paz, Bolivia | Bolivia | 4 - 2 | WCQ 2010 | Santa Cruz 66' Haedo Valdez 82' | Report |
| August 21, 2008 | | Saudi Arabia | 1 - 1 | Friendly | Cristian Riveros | |
| September 6, 2008 | Estadio Monumental Buenos Aires, Argentina | Argentina | 1 - 1 | WCQ2010 | Heinze 13' (o.g.) | Report |
| September 9, 2008 | Defensores del Chaco Asunción, Paraguay | Venezuela | 2 - 0 | WCQ2010 | Riveros 28' Haedo Valdez 45' | Report |
| October 11, 2008 | El Campín Bogotá, Colombia | Colombia | 0 - 1 | WCQ2010 | Cabañas 9' | Report |
| October 15, 2008 | Defensores del Chaco Asunción, Paraguay | Peru | 1 - 0 | WCQ2010 | Cardozo 81' | Report |
| November 19, 2008 | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Muscat, Oman | Oman | 0 - 1 | F | Vera 37' | N/A |
KEY: F = Friendly match; WCQ2010 = 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification