This Sunday, Olimpia and Cerro Porteño face each other for the 225th time in the First Division at the Sajonia stadium in Asunción, a setting that witnessed the beginning of this rivalry exactly 106 years ago. Today's match updates a history that began on June 27, 1920, when the two teams met for the first time in an official classic at the then stadium of the League.
On that historic afternoon, valid for the third matchday of the local championship, Olimpia, the "Dean," emerged victorious 3-2. The goals for the striped team were scored by Miguel Ángel Mena Porta, Schaerer, and Brítez, while Clemente Talavera and D. Lima scored for Cerro Porteño. Olimpia's lineup included Samaniego; Mena C. and Lacoinich; Torres, Domínguez, and Hermosilla; Orué, Miguel Ángel Mena Porta, Caballero, José Manuel Laguna, and Schaerer. Cerro Porteño lined up with T. Riquelme; J. Pettengill and Benítez; Denis, G. Fernández, and E. Galeano; L. Capdevila, Clemente Talavera, Uriarte, D. Lima, and Samaniego.
The stadium, inaugurated in 1917 and with a capacity for 10,000 people after the completion of the stands, would only host another classic six years later, in 1926, when Olimpia delivered a 4-1 rout. Cerro's first victory at the venue against its rival occurred only in 1927, by 1-0.
In 1974, during the presidency of Humberto Domínguez Dibb at Olimpia, the stadium was officially named Defensores del Chaco. The first classic with the new name, on June 2 of that year, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Balance marks the history of clashes at the venue. Until 1973, there were 59 league matches in Sajonia, with 24 wins for Cerro, 23 for Olimpia, and 12 draws. From 1974 onward, already as Defensores del Chaco, the teams faced each other 165 times in the first division, with 54 triumphs for the Dean, 52 for the Cyclone, and 59 draws.
Summing up the entire trajectory, from 1920 until today's match, Olimpia and Cerro Porteño have played 224 classics of the top category in Sajonia. The advantage is minimal: the striped team has won 77 duels, against 76 wins for the cerristas, with 71 games ending tied. This Sunday's duel could equal the number of triumphs or extend Olimpia's small lead in its historic stronghold.