Football club Olimpia produced a crushing 5-0 victory against Rubio Ñu on Sunday, 2 August, consigning their poor start to the Clausura 2026 tournament to the past and securing their first win of the second half of the year. The key moment of the match arrived when viral sensation Tim Payne scored his first goal only minutes after his debut for Olimpia, a composed finish that capped a dominant display and underlined the New Zealander’s immediate impact.
Payne became the viral footballer of the 2026 World Cup after rising from being the least-followed World Cup player on Instagram to a following of over 5 million within days.
How the goals unfolded
Braian Romero also claimed his first goal in Olimpia colours with a header in the 13th minute after a cross from Romeo Benítez. The second arrived from Eduardo Delmás’s left foot in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. He seized upon a rebound in the middle from Víctor Cabañas and, in his shot, benefited from a Rubio Ñu defender deflection.
Already superior before the interval, Olimpia extended their lead in the second half through Romeo Benítez in the 50th minute, whose effort was again deflected on its path. As if Rubio Ñu needed any further misfortune, Carlos Servín’s attempt to play out from the back with Brian Blasi backfired when Blasi tried to cut inside; Sebastián Quintana intercepted, delivered a cross into the area, Rubén Lezcano chested it down and Fernando Cardozo finished to make it 4-0 in the 71st minute, to the delight of the Olimpia supporters at the Defensores del Chaco.
The grand finale: Viral sensation Tim Payne scores
The grand finale was provided by the move from the back led by New Zealander Tim Payne, the viral footballer of the 2026 World Cup. His popularity began when Argentinian influencer Valentín Scarsini searched for the least-known player on the tournament. The content creator asks his fans to engage with the player, generating a wave of followers and international attention. In just a few days, he became a trending topic, passing from 4,000 followers on Instagram to over 5 million. Find Tim Payne on Instagram.
On Sunday night, after making his debut in the 69th minutes, Payne passed to Franco Alfonso, who advanced to the edge of the Rubio Ñu area and returned the ball for Payne’s measured finish in the 81st minute.
Cerro Porteño also claim first win
Cerro Porteño likewise secured their first victory of the Clausura 2026 after two opening defeats, producing a resounding 3-0 thrashing of Sportivo Luqueño at La Nueva Olla stadium in Asunción. Jorge Morel netted a brace and Pablo Vegetti added the third as the Azulgrana side collected their first points of the tournament in style.
This remarkable recovery comes after both Olimpia and Cerro Porteño suffered the unprecedented fate of losing their opening two matches of a league campaign, the first time this had occurred simultaneously since the clubs began sharing the top flight in 1913.
