Olimpia secured a 1-0 victory over Recoleta FC on Friday in the penultimate round of the Apertura 2026 tournament, played at the Estadio Erico Galeano in Capiatá. The match, covered live by ABC Color, saw the already-crowned champions field a heavily rotated side, with coach Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez resting key players ahead of Wednesday’s Copa Sudamericana clash against Vasco da Gama.
The only goal came in the first half through 19-year-old Eduardo Delmás. The move began when Bernardo Romeo Benítez drove diagonally from the left and delivered a cross to the far post. Rubén Lezcano, with limited angle, headed the ball back into the center, where Delmás smashed it into the net. The goal stood as the winner despite Recoleta’s improved second-half performance, which included a dangerous chance from Allan Wlk that forced a sharp save from Olimpia goalkeeper Sebastián Lentinelly.
Recoleta coach Jorge González Frutos also opted for a reserve lineup, prioritizing the team’s upcoming international fixture in La Gran Conquista against Ecuador’s Deportivo Cuenca on Tuesday. Both sides used the match to evaluate fringe players, with Sánchez noting after the previous round that star Derlis González could see minutes in the remaining games but was not included in the squad for this match.
The match was officiated by Álvaro Giménez. Olimpia’s starting XI included Lentinelly; Raúl Cáceres, Juan Ángel Vera, Bryan Bentaberry, Alan Rodríguez; Delmás, Juan Fernando Alfaro, Hugo Quintana; Lezcano, Adrián Alcaraz, and Benítez. Recoleta lined up with Andrés Marsengo; Claudio Figueredo, Marcos Pereira, Lucas Monzón, Pedro Ríos; Giuseppe Guggiari, José Antonio Espínola, Fernando Galeano, Manuel Schupp; Wlk and Kevin Parzajuk.
With the title already secured, attention in the Apertura now shifts to the battle for second place among Cerro Porteño, Nacional, and Sportivo Ameliano. Olimpia’s next challenge is the Sudamericana group stage match against Vasco da Gama, for which Conmebol has appointed Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán.