Liverpool rout Cerro 4-0 to stand alone atop the Clausura with perfect record

Cerro arrived hoping to extend its promising start to the season, but ran into a Liverpool side that showed no mercy. At Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera, Jorge Fossati's team weathered an early wave of pressure from the home side and walked away with a 4-0 win that leaves it as the sole leader of the Torneo Clausura, with a perfect record through three matchdays.

Truth be told, the early going belonged more to Cerro than to Liverpool. The home side kept possession and looked to create danger, though it lacked sharpness near the opposing box. Acosta had one warning shot from outside the area that drifted just wide, and later tried a free kick that Irrazábal saved without much conviction. On the rebound, Bentancourt got involved in a play inside the box that was even sent to review for a possible penalty, but VAR found no infraction and the match stayed scoreless.

That's when Liverpool showed why it remains unbeaten. In the 57th minute, the deadlock broke: Bentancourt drove down the left all the way to the byline, pulled the ball back for Strassorier, and his shot was only half stopped by the goalkeeper. Garayalde was there to tap in the rebound and make it 1-0.

Three minutes later, the game had turned into a different story altogether. In the 60th minute, Martínez went down in the box after contact from Bregante, and referee De Armas pointed to the spot without hesitation. Federico Martínez stepped up and converted with authority to make it 2-0, a blow that left Cerro with the feeling the match was slipping away.

With the scoreline already against them, the home side pushed forward in search of a way back into the game, but that opening up of space only made things worse. In the 79th minute, Renzo Machado pounced on a poor clearance from Degregorio inside the box and finished with a low, angled shot to make it 3-0. There was still more to come: in the 82nd minute, with Cerro fully committed forward, a long ball from Machado himself found Facundo Barceló, who beat Irrazábal with a low finish to seal the final 4-0.

A flawless start to the Clausura

With this result, Liverpool put a halt to Cerro's winning streak and stands as the only team with a perfect record in the tournament, having claimed its third straight win to open the campaign. The rout confirms the fine form of the Negro de la Cuchilla and, for now, puts the club a step above the rest of the standings.