Eight teams made up of fútboleros from often marginalized indigenous groups competed in the first Copa Indoamericana. This weekend Paraguay took home the title after beating Colombia 1-0. Raúl Amarilla has the honor of saying he scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute of the second half, securing the win. The team was made up of members of Ava Guaraní, Guaraní Ñandéva, Enxet Norte, Enxet Sur, Guarayo, and Ache. Colombia placed second, Chile placed third, and Bolivia was fourth.
After the team’s win, people shared images of the players with big smiles on their faces, as well as on the verge of tears, on social media. While the stakes may be drastically different from other international soccer competitions, the thrill of victory was just as intense. For more info on this first edition of the tournament, check out our round up of the competing teams here, and check out the flag-waving, shirt-removing peoples of Paraguay celebrating below:
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