Alzugaray comes off the bench to give Universitario a last-gasp win over Alianza Lima

The goal arrived when almost nobody was expecting it. Deep into stoppage time at Matute, with the derby tight and nerves running high, a name that had not even started the match made the difference: Lisandro Alzugaray pounced on a miscommunication between Alejandro Duarte and Gianfranco Chavez to net the decisive 2-1 against Alianza Lima. With that blow, Universitario moved back to the top of the Clausura table. And if there is one explanation that keeps repeating itself match after match, it is this: the bench is delivering.

Because it should be said plainly: Hector Cuper's team still has not fully found itself. It is far from a side that projects the kind of solidity you would expect from the league leader. But it has something many rivals envy: a deep squad, packed with high-caliber players who push from the outside and who, once they come on, change games.

Alzugaray, the symbol of the internal competition

Nobody embodies that idea better than Alzugaray himself. The Argentine forward became a substitute once the team returned to a 3-5-2, but his appearances off the bench have turned decisive in recent weeks. In Cajamarca, against UTC, he came on and gave the Universitario attack a different edge, setting up Andy Polo to close out the 4-2. Days later, in the derby, he repeated the trick: he entered hungry, pressed the rival's mistake and showed up right on cue to seal the agonizing win over Alianza.

The case of Gianluca Lapadula follows the same pattern. He also started contributing from the outside, and he also ended up being decisive: he scored the winning goal against Cusco FC, and with that performance took the starting spot away from Jose Rivera.

And that is the striking part: 'Tunche' Rivera began the Clausura as the undisputed starter, but failed to make the most of his chances and now splits minutes with Edison Flores. These are two players who, at the vast majority of Liga 1 clubs, would be undisputed starters. At Universitario, they cannot even count on a guaranteed spot.

Add to that the competition generated by names like Anderson Santamaria and Hector Fertoli, pieces Cuper can move around depending on what the match demands. While the coach keeps searching for the ideal setup for the Peruvian three-time champion, that squad depth is giving him solutions that other title contenders simply do not have.

What's next in the Clausura

The schedule shows no mercy. Universitario travels to face Deportivo Garcilaso, hosts Melgar, travels to play Alianza Atletico, plays at home against Juan Pablo II and Sport Boys, heads out to face Atletico Grau, hosts CD Moquegua and closes out that stretch on the road against Sport Huancayo. It is a long run in which, once again, Cuper's bench could end up mattering just as much as his starting eleven.