PEDRO SERVIN
Associated Press
CAPIATA, Paraguay (AP) — They don’t get much smaller than Paraguay’s Deportivo Capiata — or bigger than Argentina’s legendary Boca Juniors.
So when Capiata, a soccer club formed six years ago in an Asuncion suburb with a stadium holding just 7,000 fans, beat Boca 1-0 at its famed La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, it was a shocker for the ages.
Unfortunately for Capiata, it was just the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana and the team must face the Argentine juggernaut again Thursday in the second leg, with the winner going to the quarterfinals of Latin America’s No. 2 club tournament.
Highlighting the Paraguayan club’s small-time status, the match will be played at Luqueno stadium, which holds 27,000, because Capiata’s own stadium was deemed inadequate for such a big match.
Capiata goalkeeper Antonio Franco warned after beating Boca: “We still haven’t won a thing.”
“We got attention with a team with no international history beating Boca 1-0,” Franco added. “But football is like that. Nobody should underestimate a small rival.”
Capiata has a tiny fan base, and everything about the club is modest: its dressing room, workout room and stadium amenities. Interestingly, the club wears blue and yellow, the same colors as Boca Juniors.
What isn’t modest has been its performance on the pitch, particularly against Boca.
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