Diego Romero, the weak link exposed at Universitario after conceding 11 goals in eight matches

Two more goals conceded, and once again the same name under the spotlight. Diego Romero made headlines again for what goes into his net rather than what he keeps out of it. Universitario drew 2-2 against Comerciantes Unidos, and with that result missed the chance to pile extra pressure on Deportivo Garcilaso, who now hold the cards in deciding who leads the Clausura table.

The number that's starting to cause unease in Ate is this: of the eight matchdays played so far in the tournament, there was only one game in which Romero kept a clean sheet. Just one. In every other match his net was breached, in some cases twice over, as happened against UTC, FC Cajamarca and now Comerciantes Unidos. The only loss came against Cienciano, by 2-0, a result that also leaves its mark on the stats.

Add it all up and the goalkeeper has conceded 11 goals in just eight Clausura matchdays. To put that number in perspective, look back at the Apertura: with the rotation Javier Rabanal, Jorge Araujo and Héctor Cúper himself tried out, Universitario had conceded 15 goals in 17 matches. In other words, in half the matchdays of the Clausura, the team has nearly matched the goals conceded tally of the entire previous tournament.

A job earned that is now being questioned

When Cúper took charge of the team, one of his first decisions was clear cut: Romero starts, Miguel Vargas sits on the bench. That put an end to the rotation that had defined the Cream goal for much of the Apertura, and for the first time in a long while, 'Chiquito' got the continuity he had been chasing.

And this is no small matter for him. Romero is 25 years old and has been through plenty of ups and downs on his way to this point. His time at Banfield wasn't exactly promising: he managed just one relevant save during his stint in Argentina. He returned to Universitario in 2026 hoping to settle in, though during the Apertura he seemed to have lost ground in the fight for the starting job. Cúper's arrival changed things and gave him back the confidence he needed.

The problem is that confidence is starting to crack from the stands. Part of the fan base already points to him as one of the team's weak spots at this stage of the Clausura, right in the week Universitario is preparing for one of the most demanding matches on the calendar: the clásico against Alianza Lima.

That's where the real test lies. Alianza tends to punish any defensive lapse, and Universitario needs to put a stop to this run of goals conceded if it wants to keep fighting for the Clausura with any margin for error. The task now falls on Romero and his back line: work together, close down space, and keep these doubts from growing into something bigger, right when the goal of fighting for the title, and perhaps dreaming of a national final against the blue and whites, demands certainties rather than question marks.