Arezo owns up after the derby loss and reveals how Aguirre called his goal against Danubio

Three games without scoring might feel like an eternity for a forward, but for Matías Arezo it was just a blip in a year he's worked hard to put into perspective. The Peñarol striker touched on several hot topics around the club during an appearance on the radio program "Quiero fútbol" (Sport 890): the derby loss to Nacional, the goal that gave him some breathing room against Danubio, and even the still distant hope of a return to the Uruguayan national team.

He started with the most painful subject. The defeat to Nacional at Campeón del Siglo Stadium, in the fourth round of the Torneo Clausura, left a feeling that the squad spent the following week trying to work through. Arezo didn't shy away from self-criticism.

It hurt because of how it happened, because we felt like we didn't react, that we weren't ourselves. We talked about it during the week and everyone felt the same way, that we didn't manage to be ourselves, to be that team that tries to push forward in tough moments.Matías Arezo

The forward also got into the tactical details of that derby, acknowledging that playing at home brings a kind of pressure that has to be managed carefully. "We had to try to stay calm, and that's probably what we couldn't find. In the end we got dragged into that long-ball game, and that's when the match evened out," he explained. For Arezo, the issue wasn't the weight of playing at home itself, but failing to turn that advantage into something real: "The team didn't find a way to control the game, and when we gave up the goal, we didn't have the reaction we needed."

The goal that arrived right on time

The response came quickly. The following weekend, Peñarol ran over Danubio with a resounding 4-0, and that's when Arezo showed up to snap a three-game scoring drought. It wasn't just any goal: it came after a first half in which the forward himself had missed several clear chances. "These things happen. Every forward would love to score in every game of the year. It didn't worry me, but it makes me work twice as hard, improving the types of chances that come up and sometimes don't go in, and repeating them," he said, without making too much of a big deal out of it. There was even a story involving coach Diego Aguirre at halftime. Arezo went into the break frustrated over the chances he'd missed, and the coach offered him something like a premonition. "Diego looked at me and said, 'relax, it's going to go in before the 10-minute mark, you just have to stay calm, it's going to fall to you and you're going to put it away.' And that's exactly what happened. That's why we ended up hugging it out when the goal went in," the forward recalled, still savoring that shared celebration.

On what that first goal meant to him, Arezo was direct: "It was a release, and it matters because it gives you back your confidence and rewards the work you've put in." But he quickly shifted the focus from himself to the team: "Scoring goals is very important, but so is Peñarol winning. That's what I've told myself this year: as much as I'd love to score in every game, the main goal is for the team to win. If we win 1-0 with a goal from Washington Aguerre, that's more than fine by me."

Playing without the fans, and the hope of a national team call-up

The forward also addressed the sanction that will keep Peñarol from playing at Campeón del Siglo, or having its fans in the stands, for four matches. He acknowledged it's a situation the squad has no control over. "There's nothing we can do about it, so what's the point in dwelling on it? It's a shame for our fans and our families, who won't get to go to the stadium and enjoy those moments," he said, adding that the internal stance, set by Aguirre, was simply to move forward: "We can't fix it now, so that's that. From here on we just have to keep winning until things turn around."

Asked about the new national team cycle under Diego Forlán, Arezo didn't hide the fact that the hope is still there, though he preferred to stay grounded. "Everything starts fresh, and yes, the hope of being part of it is there. The work at the club level is what can get you to that point, so it's important to be doing well at the club and reach a good level," he concluded.