Peñarol rout Danubio 4-0, giving Germán Pezzella his first minutes

Four goals, zero scares and a marquee midfielder watching it all from the bench until there was nothing left to do but see out the result. That summed up Peñarol's afternoon at Estadio María Micheff de Lazaroff, where the club thrashed Danubio 4-0 in matchday five of the 2026 Torneo Clausura, and along the way gave Germán Pezzella his debut minutes.

The Argentine defender came on in the 61st minute, with the match already decided and the scoreboard showing those four goals in favor of the black and gold side. It was no baptism by fire: he had little real defensive work to do, though he did leave one notable moment in the 80th minute, when Enzo Cabrera broke down the right and looked to send a cross into the box. Pezzella got across to block it, sending the ball out for a corner. A small detail, but the kind that shows a player is already locked into the game even when the result is no longer in doubt.

For Pezzella, it also meant a return to competitive action after a long stretch without official minutes. His last match had been nothing less than the Torneo Apertura final on May 24, when River Plate fell 3-2 to Belgrano and he played just 20 minutes off the bench. Months later, having just put on the Peñarol jersey, the defender expressed his satisfaction at getting back on the field.

I'm really happy to be playing again and getting minutes. I arrived just a few days ago, so I'm getting myself ready to help the team however I'm needed. The guys played a good match, it's a good result that lets us look ahead to what's coming.Germán Pezzella

Asked about his conversations with Diego Aguirre during his first week at the club, the center back was clear that it's still mostly a process of settling in. "It was my first week and it was about getting used to the team and my teammates. Now I'm at his disposal for whatever he needs," he explained.

Aguirre relieved after the derby blow

The Uruguayan coach made no secret that this result came at just the right time. Peñarol had arrived at the match still stinging from the derby loss to Nacional, and Aguirre didn't hesitate to call the win "absolutely necessary" to put an uncomfortable week behind them.

The coach also spoke about the brace from Matías Arezo, who had gone three matches without scoring. He even shared a lighthearted story from the locker room before the game: he had told Arezo he'd score before the 10 minute mark, and the forward delivered with a goal in the 9th minute. "That's why I gave him a hug in the celebration and we had a laugh, kind of to break the tension too and get him back to normal, which is scoring a lot of goals here," Aguirre said with a laugh at the press conference.

On the team's overall performance, he pointed above all to the players' effort and their ability to exploit the spaces Danubio left open. And he had nothing but praise for the new signing: "Impressive. He's a huge addition. He's fit in really well with the group, he commands serious respect and he's going to add a lot both on and off the field," he said of Pezzella.

Finally, he explained the absence of Javier Cabrera from the squad, who was held out as a precaution due to muscle fatigue. "We went back and forth, and it was better to leave him out because there are important games coming up. He's an important player, but on Monday he'll train normally with the group," the coach concluded.