2003 Paraguayan Primera División Season

The 2003 Paraguayan Primera División season was held from 14 February to 26 October, with the participation of ten clubs. The tournament was divided into three stages: the Torneo Apertura, won by Libertad; the Torneo Clausura, also won by Libertad after defeating Olimpia in a penalty shootout tiebreaker. By winning both stages, Libertad was automatically crowned Overall Champion of the 2003 season, securing the tenth league title in its history.

Torneo Apertura 2003

The Torneo Apertura began on 14 February and concluded on 25 May.

First stage

The first stage was held from 14 February to 20 April. It followed a single round-robin format, with each team playing nine matches. The top six teams at the end of this phase advanced to the next round.

Standings

''Pld = Matches played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points''

Results

Final stage

Semifinals

The top six teams from the first stage advanced to the semifinals, which were divided into two groups. Libertad and Cerro Porteño began this stage with a 2-point advantage for finishing first and second, respectively, in the initial standings. Each team played once against the others in their group. The team with the highest number of points in each group advanced to the final.

= Group 1

=

''Pld = Matches played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points''

= Group 2

=

2003 Clausura Tournament

The tournament started on June 15 and concluded on October 30. The competition format was a round-robin, with 18 matchdays played.

Standings

Pos=Position; Pld=Matches played; W=Wins; D=Draws; L=Losses; GF=Goals for; GA=Goals against; GD=Goal difference; Pts=Points

Playoff match for the Clausura 2003 champion

Results

See Results of the Clausura Tournament.

Pre-Libertadores 2004

Guaraní and Olimpia finished second in the Apertura and Clausura tournaments respectively, so they played a match to decide the second qualifying spot for the 2004 Copa Libertadores.

With an aggregate score of 4–3, Guaraní qualified for the 2004 Copa Libertadores.

Pre-Libertadores Liguilla

The top four teams in the Clausura tournament standings (excluding those already qualified) played a mini-tournament for the final berth in the 2004 Copa Libertadores. Olimpia started with a one-point bonus for being the highest-placed team in the Clausura among the participants in the liguilla.

Pos = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Matchday 1

Matchday 2

Matchday 3

Final season standings

First, the criteria used to determine each club's qualification type for the following year are outlined, along with an explanation of what each entails. This is followed by a detailed summary of the outcomes.

Aggregate table

The aggregate table is the result of adding the points obtained by each team in both the 2003 Apertura and Clausura tournaments.

Pts = Points; Pld = Matches played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Average points

The average points of a team is calculated by dividing its accumulated points over the last three seasons by the number of matches played during that period.

Promotion playoff

This is a two-legged knockout series, with each team playing one match at home, to determine which division each club will play in the following season. It is contested between the second-to-last team in the average points table and the second-placed team from the lower division. The rules stated that if both teams were level on points after the two matches, goal difference would be used to determine the winner. If the tie persisted, a penalty shoot-out would be held.

Promotion playoff

With an aggregate score of 4–2, Tacuary remained in the Primera División for the 2004 season.
With an aggregate score of 4–2, Tacuary remained in the Primera División.

Qualification for international tournaments

The accumulated points table was used to determine the APF representatives in CONMEBOL competitions for the following year.

* 2004 Copa Libertadores (three qualifiers). The first spot went to the absolute champion of the 2003 Championship ( Libertad). The second spot went to the Clausura or Apertura champion who was not the absolute champion of 2003 (Guaraní, due to a playoff between the two runners-up since Libertad won both tournaments). The third spot was awarded to the winner of the Pre-Libertadores playoff ( Olimpia).

Relegation and promotion playoff

The average points table was used to determine relegation and the playoff participants:

* San Lorenzo was directly relegated to the Second Division for finishing last in the average points table.ABC Digital - Guaraní says goodbye to "Santo" with a blessed draw
/ref> They were replaced by the Intermedia champion, Club Nacional.

* Tacuary, having the second lowest average, had to play a two-legged promotion playoff against the Intermedia runner-up, 3 de Febrero. The first leg ended with a 2–1 victory for Tacuary. The decisive second leg was also won by Tacuary by 2–1. Ultimately, the team from the higher division secured its spot for one more season with a 4–2 aggregate score.

References

External links

RSSSF - 2003 Season

Official website of the Paraguayan Football Association

{{DEFAULTSORT:2003 Paraguayan Primera Division season
2003
2003 in South American football leagues
2003 in Paraguayan sport