Peñarol grinds out win over Cerro as Aguirre praises Jaime's magic touch

A "brutally tough" match, as the man himself described it, ended with Peñarol celebrating on the road. The Carbonero came out on top 2-1 against Cerro this Saturday at Estadio Luis Tróccoli, in matchday seven of the 2026 Clausura Tournament, and did so the hard way, sweating it out until the final whistle.

Diego Aguirre, the black and gold's head coach, didn't mince words when breaking down what he'd seen on the field. He knew going in that Cerro would be a tough opponent, and he made that clear to his players before kickoff. The result, in his view, was well deserved.

We knew it was going to be very difficult, but I think we won it fair and square. We had chances to extend the lead, missed a couple of opportunities and then ended up sweating it out, but that's just how these matches go.Diego Aguirre

The coach spoke after the match with AUF TV and went over, among other things, the moves he made from the bench. One of the most talked about was the substitution of Mauricio Lemos, who didn't finish the full ninety minutes. Aguirre explained that the defender had been carrying an ankle knock and that the coaching staff preferred not to risk him since he wasn't at one hundred percent.

The changes, in any case, had a clear purpose: to shift the tone of the match when the team needed it most. That's when Abel Hernández came on, and according to the coach, he delivered exactly what was asked of him.

We were looking for better rhythm and for the win, that's why Abel Hernández came in, and he did really well. I'm happy because this was a genuinely important match given everything that's coming up.Diego Aguirre

Jaime's magic at just the right moment

If there's one name that stands out in this win, it's Leonel Jaime. The Argentine midfielder scored the goal that ultimately tipped the balance in Peñarol's favor, in a match where space was hard to find and ideas even harder to produce.

Aguirre made no secret of his satisfaction with the player's performance and explained how the play that decided the match came together. Sometimes, in matches this tight, all it takes is a flash of brilliance to change everything.

In a match that was difficult, where the spaces just weren't opening up, his magic showed up for a split second and it won us the game.Diego Aguirre

With this win, Peñarol picks up three crucial points on matchday seven of the Clausura, in an outing that, given the level of difficulty Cerro presented, left the black and gold coaching staff more than satisfied heading into what's next on the calendar.