2022 APF División de Honor
Paraguayan Primera División season
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The 2022 División Profesional season (officially the Copa de Primera TIGO-Visión Banco 2022 for sponsorship reasons) was the 88th season of the Paraguayan Primera División, the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay. The season began on 4 February and ended on 13 November 2022.[1] The fixtures for the season were announced on 14 December 2021.[2][3]
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 February – 13 November 2022 |
| Champions | Apertura: Libertad (22nd title) Clausura: Olimpia (46th title) |
| Relegated | Sol de América 12 de Octubre |
| Copa Libertadores | Olimpia Libertad Cerro Porteño Nacional |
| Copa Sudamericana | Guaraní Tacuary General Caballero (JLM) Sportivo Ameliano (via Copa Paraguay) |
| Matches | 264 |
| Goals | 659 (2.5 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: Fernando Fernández (13 goals) Clausura: Derlis González and Lorenzo Melgarejo (12 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Olimpia 6–1 Resistencia (19 June) Cerro Porteño 5–0 Tacuary (25 September) |
| Biggest away win | 12 de Octubre 1–6 Libertad (5 February) Resistencia 1–6 Olimpia (27 October) |
| Highest scoring | 12 de Octubre 1–6 Libertad (5 February) Olimpia 6–1 Resistencia (19 June) Resistencia 1–6 Olimpia (27 October) |
← 2021 2023 → | |
In the Torneo Apertura Libertad won their twenty-second league championship, clinching the title with one match in hand after beating Cerro Porteño by a 1–0 score on 25 June,[4] whilst the Torneo Clausura was won by Olimpia, who claimed their forty-sixth league title after drawing 1–1 with Nacional on the last matchday played on 12 November.[5] Cerro Porteño were the defending champions, having won the 2021 Clausura tournament.
Teams
Twelve teams competed in the season: the top eight teams in the relegation table of the 2021 season, the top three teams in the 2021 Paraguayan División Intermedia (General Caballero (JLM), Resistencia, and Tacuary), as well as Sportivo Ameliano, winners of the promotion/relegation play-off. The promoted teams replaced River Plate and Sportivo Luqueño, who were relegated to the second tier at the end of the previous season.
Stadia and locations
- Notes
- Teams occasionally play their home matches at Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asunción. Derbies between Cerro Porteño and Olimpia are also usually played at this stadium.
- Used as home stadium for the season since Resistencia's stadium Estadio Tomás Beggan Correa did not meet APF requirements.
- Used as home stadium for the season since Sportivo Ameliano's stadium Estadio José Tomás Silva did not meet APF requirements.
- Used as home stadium for the season since Tacuary's stadium Estadio Toribio Vargas did not meet APF requirements.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| General Caballero (JLM) |  Humberto Ovelar |
Resigned | 22 October 2021[6] | Pre-season | Gustavo Bobadilla |
4 December 2021[7] |
| Resistencia | Pablo Caballero |
Sacked | 25 November 2021[8] | Roberto Torres |
27 November 2021[9] | |
| Tacuary |  Daniel Lanata |
22 February 2022[10] | 10th | Robert Pereira |
22 February 2022[10] | |
| Nacional |  Hernán Rodrigo López |
12 March 2022[11] | 7th | Carlos Bonet |
12 March 2022[12] | |
| 12 de Octubre | Pedro Sarabia |
Resigned | 22 March 2022[13] | 10th | Sergio Órteman |
22 March 2022[14] |
| Nacional | Carlos Bonet |
Return to sporting director post | 24 March 2022[15] | 11th | Pedro Sarabia |
24 March 2022[16] |
| Sol de América | Juan Pablo Pumpido |
Resigned | 3 April 2022[17] | 5th | Celso Ayala |
4 April 2022[18] |
| General Caballero (JLM) | Gustavo Bobadilla |
20 April 2022[19] | 10th | Luciano Theiler |
21 April 2022[20] | |
| Tacuary | Robert Pereira |
1 May 2022[21] | 7th | Humberto Ovelar |
2 May 2022[22] | |
| 12 de Octubre | Sergio Órteman |
Sacked | 3 June 2022[23] | 12th | Robert Pereira |
3 June 2022[24] |
| Sol de América | Celso Ayala |
Resigned | 2 July 2022[25] | 7th | Pablo Guiñazú |
2 July 2022[26] |
| Torneo Clausura | ||||||
| Tacuary | Humberto Ovelar |
Sacked | 5 July 2022[27] | Pre-tournament | Iván Almeida |
5 July 2022[28] |
| General Caballero (JLM) | Luciano Theiler |
8 August 2022[29] | 8th | Gustavo Florentín |
8 August 2022[30] | |
| 12 de Octubre | Robert Pereira |
21 August 2022[31] | 12th | Héctor Marecos |
21 August 2022[32] | |
| Resistencia | Roberto Torres |
11 September 2022[33] | 8th | Mario Jara |
11 September 2022[33] | |
| General Caballero (JLM) | Gustavo Florentín |
Resigned | 16 September 2022[34] | 11th | Humberto Ovelar |
17 September 2022[34] |
| Sportivo Ameliano | Humberto García |
Sacked | 18 September 2022[35] | 8th | Juan Pablo Pumpido |
18 September 2022[35] |
| Tacuary | Iván Almeida |
12 October 2022[36] | 8th | Robert Pereira |
12 October 2022[36] | |
| Sol de América | Pablo Guiñazú |
9 November 2022[37] | 10th | Alfredo Vera[i] |
9 November 2022[37] | |
- Notes
- Caretaker manager.
Torneo Apertura
The Campeonato de Apertura, named "Homenaje a Luis Alberto Pettengill Castillo",[38] was the 125th official championship of the Primera División and the first championship of the 2022 season. It started on 4 February and ended on 3 July.[1]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libertad (C) | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 14 | +35 | 57 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Cerro Porteño | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 13 | +26 | 50 | |
| 3 | Olimpia | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 43 | |
| 4 | Guaraní | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 32 | |
| 5 | Resistencia | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 28 | |
| 6 | Nacional | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 26 | |
| 7 | Sol de América | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 28 | −8 | 25 | |
| 8 | Guaireña | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 23 | |
| 9 | General Caballero (JLM) | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 23 | |
| 10 | Tacuary | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 29 | −13 | 22 | |
| 11 | Sportivo Ameliano | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 39 | −14 | 19 | |
| 12 | 12 de Octubre | 22 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 40 | −24 | 17 |
Results
Top scorers
| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Fernández |
Guaraní | 13 |
| 2 | Facundo Bruera |
Nacional | 12 |
| 3 | Julio César Enciso |
Libertad | 11 |
| 4 | Junior Marabel |
General Caballero (JLM) | 8 |
| Robert Morales |
Cerro Porteño | ||
| Alfio Oviedo |
Cerro Porteño | ||
| Guillermo Paiva |
Olimpia | ||
| 8 | Walter González |
Olimpia | 7 |
| Roque Santa Cruz |
Libertad | ||
| Alejandro Silva |
Olimpia |
Source: Soccerway
Torneo Clausura
The Campeonato de Clausura, named "Homenaje to Alexandro Arce Añazco",[39] was the 126th official championship of the Primera División and the second championship of the 2022 season. It began on 14 July and ended on 13 November.[1]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpia (C) | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 49 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Cerro Porteño | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 48 | |
| 3 | Nacional | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 45 | |
| 4 | Libertad | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 34 | |
| 5 | Tacuary | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 31 | |
| 6 | Sportivo Ameliano | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 29 | |
| 7 | General Caballero (JLM) | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 28 | |
| 8 | Guaireña | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 27 | |
| 9 | Guaraní | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 23 | |
| 10 | Sol de América | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 33 | −12 | 21 | |
| 11 | Resistencia | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 32 | −16 | 21 | |
| 12 | 12 de Octubre | 22 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 37 | −21 | 12 |
Results
Top scorers
| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derlis González |
Olimpia | 12 |
| Lorenzo Melgarejo |
Libertad | ||
| 3 | Óscar Cardozo |
Libertad | 11 |
| 4 | Fernando Fernández |
Guaraní | 8 |
| Danilo Santacruz |
Nacional | ||
| Nildo Viera |
Guaireña | ||
| 7 | Ronaldo Martínez |
Resistencia | 7 |
| 8 | Alex Arce |
Sportivo Ameliano | 6 |
| Facundo Bruera |
Nacional | ||
| Brian Montenegro |
Olimpia |
Source: Soccerway
Aggregate table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 44 | 30 | 8 | 6 | 71 | 26 | +45 | 98 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 2 | Olimpia (C) | 44 | 28 | 8 | 8 | 83 | 42 | +41 | 92 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage[a] |
| 3 | Libertad (C) | 44 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 84 | 41 | +43 | 91 | |
| 4 | Nacional | 44 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 57 | 48 | +9 | 71 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage |
| 5 | Guaraní | 44 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 53 | 56 | −3 | 55 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 6 | Tacuary | 44 | 15 | 8 | 21 | 43 | 54 | −11 | 53 | |
| 7 | General Caballero (JLM) | 44 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 49 | 59 | −10 | 51 | |
| 8 | Guaireña | 44 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 47 | 57 | −10 | 50 | |
| 9 | Resistencia | 44 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 46 | 68 | −22 | 49 | |
| 10 | Sportivo Ameliano | 44 | 14 | 6 | 24 | 54 | 71 | −17 | 48 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage[b] |
| 11 | Sol de América | 44 | 11 | 13 | 20 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 46 | |
| 12 | 12 de Octubre | 44 | 6 | 11 | 27 | 32 | 77 | −45 | 29 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Playoff game (only if needed to decide international qualification between two teams), 3) Goal difference, 4) Goals for, 5) Away goals for, 6) Drawing of lots.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- Olimpia also qualified for the 2022 Supercopa Paraguay as the best-ranked champions in the aggregate table.
- Sportivo Ameliano qualified for the Copa Sudamericana first stage by winning the 2022 Copa Paraguay.
Relegation
Relegation was determined at the end of the season by computing an average of the number of points earned per game over the past three seasons. The two teams with the lowest average were relegated to the División Intermedia for the following season.
| Pos | Team | 2020 Pts | 2021 Pts | 2022 Pts | Total Pts | Total Pld | Avg | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 69 | 66 | 98 | 233 | 113 | 2.062 | |
| 2 | Libertad | 62 | 65 | 91 | 218 | 113 | 1.929 | |
| 3 | Olimpia | 62 | 51 | 92 | 205 | 113 | 1.814 | |
| 4 | Guaraní | 59 | 61 | 55 | 175 | 113 | 1.549 | |
| 5 | Nacional | 44 | 50 | 71 | 165 | 113 | 1.46 | |
| 6 | Tacuary | — | — | 53 | 53 | 44 | 1.205 | |
| 7 | Guaireña | 41 | 44 | 50 | 135 | 113 | 1.195 | |
| 8 | General Caballero (JLM) | — | — | 51 | 51 | 44 | 1.159 | |
| 9 | Resistencia | — | — | 49 | 49 | 44 | 1.114 | |
| 10 | Sportivo Ameliano | — | — | 48 | 48 | 44 | 1.091 | |
| 11 | Sol de América (R) | 35 | 42 | 46 | 123 | 113 | 1.088 | Relegation to División Intermedia |
| 12 | 12 de Octubre (R) | 41 | 43 | 29 | 113 | 113 | 1 |
Source: APF
Season awards
On 14 November 2022 a ceremony was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Asunción to announce the winners of the season awards (Premios de Primera), who were chosen based on voting by the managers of the 12 Primera División teams, local sports journalists, the APF's Referee Commission, the public as well as official statistics.[40]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Best Player | Derlis González |
Olimpia |
| Revelation Player | Diego Gómez |
Libertad |
| People's Player | Derlis González |
Olimpia |
| Best Goal | Richard Ortiz (against Cerro Porteño, Torneo Clausura Round 17) |
Olimpia |
| Best Goalkeeper |  Jean Paulo Fernandes |
Cerro Porteño |
| Best Manager | Julio César Cáceres |
Olimpia |
| Best Referee | Éber Aquino | |
| Best VAR Referee | Fernando López | |
| Top Scorer | Fernando Fernández (21 goals) |
Guaraní |
| Fair Play Team | Guaraní | |
| Most Minutes played by U-19s | Libertad (1560 minutes) | |