By Louis Smith at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium.
Twelve months ago, the Defensores del Chaco was in desperate need of upgrades, as it had become run-down and needed some TLC. When selected as a host for the 2025 Copa Sudamericana final, this allowed money and time to be spent on the iconic stadium to allow it to gain some much-needed upgrades.
Todas las mejoras que se hicieron en el Estadio ueno Defensores del Chaco para la definición de la CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2025.
A la altura para su primera Final Única en la historia del certamen.pic.twitter.com/iVZPvzLmQu
— Señor Fútbol Py (@SrFutbolPy) November 21, 2025
In the week building up to the final, Atlético Mineiro fans flooded into Asuncíon, filling the streets with black-and-white shirts and nonstop noise. Lanús supporters began to arrive on Friday evening and Saturday evening as their coaches rolled steadily towards the Defensores del Chaco Stadium. As kick-off approached in Asunción, several coaches had made the overnight journey from Argentina.
Inside the stadium, even an hour before kick-off, Galo fans had already packed out their end, loud, bouncing, and relentless with their support. And when the Argentines arrived, they matched the atmosphere instantly; drums, trumpets, and the full stereotypical Argentine band that turns every match into a festival, which did not stop for the duration of the game.
In the warm-ups, Atlético focused on the same drill they used against Red Bull Bragantino, lining up to work the ball quickly from side to side, switching play as wide as possible to their tricky wingers, Róny and Dudu. It was a clear indication of their plan, and something they would later try to emulate once the match got underway.
As the team line-ups were read out, there was a huge boo for Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli from the Lanús supporters, and to give you an idea of just how hot it was in Asunción, fans in the stands were being sprayed with water just to keep cool.
As we approached kick-off, jets soared overhead and the national anthems of both Argentina and Brazil were played.
With the flyover complete and the noise inside Defensores del Chaco reaching its peak, we were ready to begin the 2025 Copa Sudamericana final.
The match began with a modern PSG-style kick-off, Hulk smashing the ball straight out of play as Atlético Mineiro tried to pin Lanús in with an early press, something they continued to look for throughout the opening stages. From the first whistle, Galo were aggressive, pressing high and allowing their front three to swarm the ball. But in the heat of Asunción, it was obvious this level of intensity wasn’t a game plan they could sustain for long.
One player who triggered the press brilliantly in tight spaces was Igor Gomes. Time and time again, he was the one stepping up, closing down quickly, and putting the Argentine side under real pressure the moment they received the ball, trying to squeeze them into mistakes and force turnovers in advanced areas.
We had to wait until the 14th minute for the first shot on goal, and it came after Galo was caught trying to play out from the back. Some excellent pressing from Marcelino Moreno saw him win the ball high up the pitch, immediately triggering a fast counter-attack. Ramiro Carrera had a strike from the edge of the box, but it was comfortably dealt with by Everson between the sticks.
Atlético’s first real chance of the game came when a cross into the box wasn’t dealt with properly by the Lanús defence. The loose ball dropped to Alan Franco, who struck it on the half-volley, but his effort sailed just over the bar.
Moments later, Galo was awarded a free-kick in dangerous territory, and Bernard stepped up and hit the post from a tight angle, which was arguably the best moment of the first half.
Igor Gomes showed some lovely footwork before having a shot from distance, but the hands of Nahuel Losada secured it.
After a halftime show from Kchiporros, a popular Paraguayan band, the second half was underway, which, like the first half, provided very few chances.
A lovely switch from Alan Franco, saw Dudu terrorize the defenders with quick feet to cut inside, only to be denied by Losada.
Carlos Izquierdoz held Hulk back to bring the first yellow card of the game, which led to a string of yellow cards in a short period of time.
Lanús resorted to playing long balls forward in order to catch the Galo backline out, which saw them cause a little panic, but no real efforts on goal. This led to Alan Franco committing a last-ditch tackle that saw him not only pick up a yellow card but also leave the field of play after picking up an injury in the move.
After 90 minutes, the sides could not be separated, meaning another 30 would have to be played. Sometimes in football, you get games you would love to see more of; this was not one of them. The only saving grace was the crowd of both sets of supporters.
When Hulk kicked off extra time, the same we he started it, it was a sense of ‘here we go again’, and even more so, when a pot-shot from distance by Franco Watson brought a similar save by Everson to that of the first shot of the game.
Then came a huge moment in the tie. Gustavo Scarpa received the ball out wide, cutting on to his left foot, to deliver a delicious ball, picking out substitute Biel, who was unmarked and had a clear header at goal, with Nahuel Losada leaving a huge gap to his right-hand side, but an unclear connection saw the ball go into the gloves of Losada.
Things went from bad to worse in the second half for Biel. A slick, quick move saw Biel one-on-one with the keeper, but once again, Losada stood firm to deny the forward before his defence backed him up to clear off the line and send the game to a dreaded penalty shoot-out.
After 120 minutes of goalless football, both goalkeepers made us wait longer, with two terrific saves. With Everson first denying Walter Bou, before Losada stood firm to save Hulk’s.
Izquierdoz, who picked up the first yellow of the game, would be the first player to find the net, which was matched by Scarpa for Galo.
Three clean penalties in a row from Marcich, Gomes, and Dylan Aquino brought Biel to the centre stage, where he once again added to his nightmare day, missing his spot kick and giving Lautaro Acosta a chance to bring glory. However, his penalty saw him strike the ball way over the bar and back into space.
¡La CONMEBOL #Sudamericana llegó al espacio! #Impensable, pero real. Estamos listos para la Final de #LaGranConquista pic.twitter.com/W6j7879e9X
— Alejandro Domínguez (@agdws) November 20, 2025
Goalkeeper Everson managed to pull things level with arguably the best spot-kick off the lot.
Agustin Cardozo, Alexsander, and Watson were flawless, with Watson’s penalty meaning Vitor Hugo had to score to keep Galo in the tie.
Hugo stepped up and saw Losada dive to his right quickly to deny him and send Lanús fans into delirium as they claimed their second Sudamericana title.
The hero of the neighborhood.
Nahuel Losada stopped three penalties and lifted @clublanus to the 2025 CONMEBOL #Sudamericana crown! #TheGreatConquest pic.twitter.com/VYF2CoMBmh
— CONMEBOL Sudamericana (@TheSudamericana) November 22, 2025
For Galo, it’s their second Continental final defeat in two years, and in both, they will feel they should have done more to win. Lanús will now be looking forward to a Copa Libertadores campaign next year and another chance at silverware when they meet either Flamengo or Palmeiras in the 2026 Recopa Sudamericana.
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