Penarol fail to close in on Apertura championship after suffering heavy defeat to Liverpool.
Penarol missed out on an ideal opportunity to close in on the Uruguayan Apertura championship after being on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday. Penarol were completely dominated by what initially seemed to be much weaker opponents, and will need to improve a great deal in order to claim the title.
Despite their first loss of the season, Penarol still remain top of the table with 24 points, one point more than their closest rivals Cerro, with 23 points. Cerro failed to leapfrog Penarol, after losing 1-0 against Cerro Largo.
From the trailing pack, the only team who won in Round 11 with realistic chances of winning the title were Danubio. Danubio edged arch-rivals Defensor Sporting 1-0 on Friday, to climb into third-place with 22 points. Meanwhile, Nacional could only afford a goalless draw with Fenix, a result which distances them from the front-runners.
Danubio are back in the title hunt after defeating bitter rivals Defensor Sporting 1-0 at the Luis Franzini stadium on Friday night.
Widely considered the second biggest derby in Uruguay, behind the superclasico between Nacional and Penarol, the game was played at an intense pace, as both teams looked for a victory that would steer them closer towards league leaders Penarol.
The match was hotly contested in the midfield, with both teams mainly restricted to long-distance attempts on goal. Both teams hit the crossbar twice each, as the game seemed destined to end in a goalless draw.
However, in the 86th minute Sebastian Piriz received the ball in the midfield, got away from his marker with a clever shimmy, before curling the ball around Defensor goalkeeper Yonatan Irrazabal, to give Danubio the three points. With the win, Danubio remain alive in the Apertura, climbing into third-place with 22 points from eleven games.
Uruguayan league leaders Penarol suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Centenario stadium on Saturday, a result that keeps them in first-place, however, only one point above second-placed Cerro.
Penarol came into the game as the hot favourites, but they were completely outplayed by a very dominant Liverpool throughout the entire ninety minutes.
Liverpool went ahead in the 40th minute, when Nicolas Royon latched onto a high ball pumped forward, side-footed the ball past his marker, before sensationally blasting it into the back of the net from outside of the area.
Hernan Figueredo doubled Liverpool's lead in the 59th minute, with a magnificent left-footed missile that left Penarol goalkeeper Fabian Carini with no chance.
Penarol did their best to pull a goal back, however, two goal-bound efforts from Marcelo Zalayeta were brilliantly saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Matias Castro.
Liverpool captain Emiliano Alfaro put the result beyond Penarol in the 78th minute, with a clever chip over Carini after a swift counterattack. The striker was rewarded for the goal with a call-up to the Uruguayan national team for Friday's World Cup qualifier against Chile.
Bella Vista climbed from the bottom of the table after coming from behind to defeat Prado rivals River Plate 2-1 at the Parque Saroldi on Sunday. The win was only the third for the club in eleven outings this season, with the other eight games ending in defeats.
River Plate dominated the early moments of the match, and went ahead through Pablo Olivera when in the 28th minute he took advantage of a defensive blunder to poke the ball home from close-range.
Three minutes before the half-time break Bella Vista hit back through Gaston Otreras, who reacted first to a rebound off the crossbar to fire the ball into the back of the net.
Marcelo Andres Martuciello ended up handing Bella Vista the three points in the 13th minute of the second half, after slotting the ball home at the back post from a corner-kick.
Nacional failed to capitalise on Penarol's slip-up, after being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Fenix at the Parque Central stadium on Sunday.
Nacional, who had scored a total of nine goals in their previous three games, completely dominated their opponents in all aspects, however, they simply couldn't find the back of the net.
The first half lacked goal-scoring opportunities, as both sides fought it out in the midfield, and rarely inflicted danger upon each other's goal.
The situation changed for the better in the second half, as the game opened up, especially because Nacional went for the win at all costs. They came close to going ahead right away, first through Horacio Peralta and then through Darwin Torres, the second attempt being cleared off the line by former Nacional defender Ignacio Pallas.
Nacional looked even more dangerous with the introduction of Alvaro Recoba, who orchestrated their best attacking moves. Nacional should have been awarded a clear penalty kick in the 72nd minute, when a Fenix defender intentionally cleared the ball with his hand, however, referee Gustavo Siegler waved play-on, to the frustration of the home fans.
From that same play Christian Nunez hit the crossbar, and Gonzalo Bueno then fired the rebound over the crossbar. In the final ten minutes of the match, Nacional threw everything at Fenix, including two fierce long-range drives from Recoba that came inches close from giving them the three points.
Uruguayan Apertura - Round 11 Results
November 4
Defensor Sporting 0 - 1 Danubio
November 5
Cerro 0 - 1 Cerro Largo
Liverpool 3 - 0 Penarol
Racing 3 - 0 El Tanque Sisley
November 6
River Plate 1 - 2 Bella Vista
Cerrito 1 - 0 Rentistas
Wanderers 2 - 0 Rampla Juniors
Nacional 0 - 0 Fenix
Despite their first loss of the season, Penarol still remain top of the table with 24 points, one point more than their closest rivals Cerro, with 23 points. Cerro failed to leapfrog Penarol, after losing 1-0 against Cerro Largo.
From the trailing pack, the only team who won in Round 11 with realistic chances of winning the title were Danubio. Danubio edged arch-rivals Defensor Sporting 1-0 on Friday, to climb into third-place with 22 points. Meanwhile, Nacional could only afford a goalless draw with Fenix, a result which distances them from the front-runners.
Danubio are back in the title hunt after defeating bitter rivals Defensor Sporting 1-0 at the Luis Franzini stadium on Friday night.
Widely considered the second biggest derby in Uruguay, behind the superclasico between Nacional and Penarol, the game was played at an intense pace, as both teams looked for a victory that would steer them closer towards league leaders Penarol.
The match was hotly contested in the midfield, with both teams mainly restricted to long-distance attempts on goal. Both teams hit the crossbar twice each, as the game seemed destined to end in a goalless draw.
However, in the 86th minute Sebastian Piriz received the ball in the midfield, got away from his marker with a clever shimmy, before curling the ball around Defensor goalkeeper Yonatan Irrazabal, to give Danubio the three points. With the win, Danubio remain alive in the Apertura, climbing into third-place with 22 points from eleven games.
Uruguayan league leaders Penarol suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Centenario stadium on Saturday, a result that keeps them in first-place, however, only one point above second-placed Cerro.
Penarol came into the game as the hot favourites, but they were completely outplayed by a very dominant Liverpool throughout the entire ninety minutes.
Liverpool went ahead in the 40th minute, when Nicolas Royon latched onto a high ball pumped forward, side-footed the ball past his marker, before sensationally blasting it into the back of the net from outside of the area.
Hernan Figueredo doubled Liverpool's lead in the 59th minute, with a magnificent left-footed missile that left Penarol goalkeeper Fabian Carini with no chance.
Penarol did their best to pull a goal back, however, two goal-bound efforts from Marcelo Zalayeta were brilliantly saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Matias Castro.
Liverpool captain Emiliano Alfaro put the result beyond Penarol in the 78th minute, with a clever chip over Carini after a swift counterattack. The striker was rewarded for the goal with a call-up to the Uruguayan national team for Friday's World Cup qualifier against Chile.
Bella Vista climbed from the bottom of the table after coming from behind to defeat Prado rivals River Plate 2-1 at the Parque Saroldi on Sunday. The win was only the third for the club in eleven outings this season, with the other eight games ending in defeats.
River Plate dominated the early moments of the match, and went ahead through Pablo Olivera when in the 28th minute he took advantage of a defensive blunder to poke the ball home from close-range.
Three minutes before the half-time break Bella Vista hit back through Gaston Otreras, who reacted first to a rebound off the crossbar to fire the ball into the back of the net.
Marcelo Andres Martuciello ended up handing Bella Vista the three points in the 13th minute of the second half, after slotting the ball home at the back post from a corner-kick.
Nacional failed to capitalise on Penarol's slip-up, after being held to a frustrating goalless draw by Fenix at the Parque Central stadium on Sunday.
Nacional, who had scored a total of nine goals in their previous three games, completely dominated their opponents in all aspects, however, they simply couldn't find the back of the net.
The first half lacked goal-scoring opportunities, as both sides fought it out in the midfield, and rarely inflicted danger upon each other's goal.
The situation changed for the better in the second half, as the game opened up, especially because Nacional went for the win at all costs. They came close to going ahead right away, first through Horacio Peralta and then through Darwin Torres, the second attempt being cleared off the line by former Nacional defender Ignacio Pallas.
Nacional looked even more dangerous with the introduction of Alvaro Recoba, who orchestrated their best attacking moves. Nacional should have been awarded a clear penalty kick in the 72nd minute, when a Fenix defender intentionally cleared the ball with his hand, however, referee Gustavo Siegler waved play-on, to the frustration of the home fans.
From that same play Christian Nunez hit the crossbar, and Gonzalo Bueno then fired the rebound over the crossbar. In the final ten minutes of the match, Nacional threw everything at Fenix, including two fierce long-range drives from Recoba that came inches close from giving them the three points.
Uruguayan Apertura - Round 11 Results
November 4
Defensor Sporting 0 - 1 Danubio
November 5
Cerro 0 - 1 Cerro Largo
Liverpool 3 - 0 Penarol
Racing 3 - 0 El Tanque Sisley
November 6
River Plate 1 - 2 Bella Vista
Cerrito 1 - 0 Rentistas
Wanderers 2 - 0 Rampla Juniors
Nacional 0 - 0 Fenix
