Mauricio Lemos admits Peñarol's loss to Nacional left him rattled for days

Some losses fade fast, others stick in your head for days. Peñarol's defeat to Nacional at the Campeón del Siglo, in matchday four of the Torneo Clausura, was one of the latter. At least that's what Mauricio Lemos, the Carbonero defender, admitted in an interview with the program "La mañana del fútbol" on El Espectador Deportes.

The center back held nothing back when discussing what that home loss in the derby meant. "It was tough for everyone," he admitted, though he also pointed to something positive: the team managed to bounce back quickly and return to the form it had been showing in the tournament before that stumble.

What hurt the most, he said, was how it all played out. "They found a goal off a set piece, it was pretty much our fault that they scored that goal, and after that we had no response to turn the situation around," Lemos explained. He went further with the self criticism: "I think the match wasn't that difficult, but we didn't know how to react and that really cost us."

I was in a bad place for several days, affected by that match. We had a lot of desire and hope to take the three points and I don't think it was such a difficult match that we couldn't have gotten them.Mauricio Lemos

The defender recalled that Nacional had arrived on a very poor run and took the three points with a single goal. "You have to live with that, try to forget that match," he said, adding that the response came quickly: in the next fixture they were able to turn things around. The idea, in his words, is to "keep working with our heads held high" with an eye on ending the year celebrating.

From a dream come true to injuries that won't go away

Lemos, 30, joined Peñarol in February and doesn't hide what it means to him to be at the club. "Very happy to be living a dream," he said of his current stint in aurinegro colors. The original plan was different: to build up minutes gradually after a semester with little playing time at Vasco da Gama. But the injuries that hit the squad in the first half of the year sped up that timeline. "The intention was to come back gradually. It didn't happen that way because of the injuries we had," he explained, stressing that from the moment he arrived he made clear he'd be available whenever the team needed him.

That commitment took a physical toll. Before the derby he suffered a "pretty big" sprain that kept him out of training for almost the entire week leading up to the match, and he's been carrying discomfort in that same ankle ever since, one that hasn't fully healed. "It's frustrating not being able to be at 100% when we want to be. Normally you'd rest, and here at Peñarol we can't afford to rest," he said, recalling what he told coach Diego Aguirre: that he'd be available "even if it's on one leg."

The discomfort, he said, bleeds into his everyday life. "There are mornings when I can barely walk. But then the body warms up and it all goes away," he recounted.

Contract through December and surprise over the squad's injuries

On his future, Lemos was clear: his contract with Peñarol runs through December, and his intention is to "stay at the club for several years," though he knows that decision isn't entirely up to him. He chose not to weigh in on the elections the club will hold before year's end: "It's a very difficult year for the club because there's a lot going on off the field, and I don't want to get involved in any of that."

Finally, the defender said he was surprised by the number of injuries the squad suffered throughout the year. He said he had no clear explanation and ruled out that training was the problem: "We work excellently with the coach, everything is under control and I don't think it's down to that." He pointed to his time at Vasco da Gama as an example, where under Fernando Diniz they trained two hours a day and barely got injured. For Lemos, it comes down to "a mix of the psychological side and personal care," though he acknowledged these are things beyond the players' control: "It's hard to believe there have been so many."