Valentín Rodríguez

Left Back - Defensor Sporting
18 Apr 2030
Thursday
Process

Marked for Valentín Rodríguez

191 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

25 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kevin Dawson keeps Defensor Sporting in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Only the photograph left for Matteo Correia

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Matteo Correia will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Defensor Sporting the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Lucas Agazzi in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Penarol take the points off Defensor Sporting

Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Valentín Rodríguez runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nicolás Wunsch

Marked 8.70 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Axel Frugone in the eights

A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Ezequiel Burdin gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Cristian Cardozo out for 36 days

The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Cristian Cardozo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

Back issues
190 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

18 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Defensor Sporting run riot against River Plate

4‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Match

Defensor Sporting bow out of the cup

Tacuarembo go through and Defensor Sporting go home, 1‑2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Squad

Germán Barrios says Defensor Sporting went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Germán Barrios is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Defensor Sporting is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Matías Abaldo runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nicolás Wunsch

Marked 9.58 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Facundo Castro out for 77 days

The medical room confirms 77 days on the sidelines for Facundo Castro, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Matías Espíndola

Marked 9.23 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

159 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

13 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Juan Manuel Jorge: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Defensor Sporting have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Mathías Silvera puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Defensor Sporting, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Pablo Lago has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Defensor Sporting they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Lucas Agazzi

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lucas Agazzi, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Valentín Rodríguez

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

A bad afternoon for Defensor Sporting against Juventud

0‑1 to Juventud, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Axel Frugone is carrying Defensor Sporting

8 goals and a season average of 7.33. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Kevin Dawson

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

157 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

30 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Defensor Sporting bow out of the cup

Boston River go through and Defensor Sporting go home, 2‑4 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

The terraces

The boos come down from three sides

“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 8 of the 38 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.

Market

Only the photograph left for Jean Lucas Severo

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jean Lucas Severo will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Defensor Sporting the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Germán Barrios says Defensor Sporting went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Matías Abaldo

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nahuel Cisneros in the eights

A performance of 8.79 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valentín Rodríguez

Marked 8.64 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lucas Núñez

Marked 8.37 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

151 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

18 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Axel Frugone

Defensive actions: 33. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Market

Mathías Silvera puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Defensor Sporting, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Matías Espíndola

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Artigas join the queue for Mateo Ibarra

Add another name to the list: Artigas have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Mateo Ibarra. The answer from Defensor Sporting has not changed — yet.

Squad

Jean Lucas Severo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Marco Saravia

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Valentín Rodríguez shuts the door

Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Racing are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Defensor Sporting will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

143 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Axel Frugone shuts the door

Defensive actions: 45, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Mathías Silvera puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Defensor Sporting, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Marco Saravia

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Lucas Agazzi in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Matías Espíndola runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valentín Rodríguez

Marked 8.86 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Valentín Rodríguez the difference as Defensor Sporting beat Miramar Misiones

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Valentín Rodríguez. 2‑0 against Miramar Misiones, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Squad

No hiding place for Matías Santos

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matías Santos, and the manager let it.

Squad

Facundo Castro knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Defensor Sporting, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

137 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Mathías Silvera keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Defensor Sporting may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Germán Barrios has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Defensor Sporting they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Fabián Cristaldo hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Defensor Sporting can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Matías Espíndola in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Defensor Sporting get the job done against Wanderers

A 2‑1 win over Wanderers, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valentín Rodríguez

Marked 8.87 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Pablo Lago in the eights

A performance of 8.41 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Matías Abaldo

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Agustín Chopitea

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

134 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Lucas Machado

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Pablo Lago puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Defensor Sporting, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Only the photograph left for Fabián Cristaldo

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Fabián Cristaldo will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Defensor Sporting the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Lucas Agazzi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Boston River take the points off Defensor Sporting

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

No hiding place for Brian Montenegro

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Brian Montenegro, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valentín Rodríguez

Marked 8.27 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Nicolás Wunsch

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.04, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Defensor Sporting count the cost of losing Cristian Cardozo

37 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

133 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Leonardo Olavarría keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Defensor Sporting may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Only the photograph left for Germán Barrios

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Germán Barrios will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Defensor Sporting the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Fabián Cristaldo asks to leave Defensor Sporting

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Boardroom

Carlos Rodriguez signs on for the long haul

Defensor Sporting moved before anybody else could: a new deal for Carlos Rodriguez, agreed quietly and announced loudly. Boards extend managers for many reasons; the good one is the one this looks like.

Squad

Nicolás Wunsch stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Nicolás Wunsch and Defensor Sporting agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Matías Abaldo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Lucas Coates comes home

The shirt still fits. Lucas Coates is back at Defensor Sporting, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Jose Bentancur comes home

The shirt still fits. Jose Bentancur is back at Defensor Sporting, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Match

Valentín Rodríguez the difference as Defensor Sporting beat Albion

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Valentín Rodríguez. 2‑1 against Albion, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

In brief

107 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kevin Dawson keeps Defensor Sporting in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Felipe Cairus says Defensor Sporting went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Simphiwe Selepe is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.51 with 14 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

No end in sight to Defensor Sporting's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Defensor Sporting has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Only the photograph left for Matteo Correia

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Matteo Correia will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Defensor Sporting the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Xavier Biscayzacú

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Lucas Agazzi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Defensor Sporting against Wanderers

1‑2 to Wanderers, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

One of those days for Simphiwe Selepe

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

105 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

13 unbeaten for Defensor Sporting

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Defensor Sporting did not have in the autumn.

Market

Germán Barrios is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Defensor Sporting is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Simphiwe Selepe

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Cerrito join the queue for Matteo Correia

Add another name to the list: Cerrito have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Matteo Correia. The answer from Defensor Sporting has not changed — yet.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Benjamín Sagües Barreiro

Marked 8.26 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Matías Abaldo

6 goals and a season average of 7.37 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Defensor Sporting share the spoils with Miramar Misiones

A 1‑1 draw with Miramar Misiones leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Brian Montenegro asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

104 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Defensor Sporting are in among the leaders

Position 2 and 48 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Whatever happens, Defensor Sporting do not lose

12 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Facundo Castro: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Defensor Sporting have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Defensor Sporting turn down River Plate for Kevin Altez

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Simphiwe Selepe is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.45 with 12 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Lucas Agazzi in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Kevin Altez

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.31, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Brian Lozano

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Brian Lozano, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Simphiwe Selepe

Marked 8.68 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

99 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Jean Lucas Severo: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Defensor Sporting have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Defensor Sporting say no — this time

The offer from Uruguay Montevideo for Kevin Altez was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Market

Defensor Sporting get their man

The chase for Ezequiel Burdin ended with $380.0K changing hands and Albion out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Whatever happens, Defensor Sporting do not lose

7 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Match

Defensor Sporting find a way past Deportivo Maldonado

Deportivo Maldonado made Defensor Sporting work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nicolás Wunsch

Marked 9.37 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valentín Rodríguez

Marked 8.96 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Market

The Lucas de los Santos conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Cerrito will make the call about Lucas de los Santos this week. Defensor Sporting have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

97 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Simphiwe Selepe keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Defensor Sporting may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Defensor Sporting turn down Cerro Largo for Simphiwe Selepe

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Facundo Castro hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Defensor Sporting can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Germán Barrios has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Defensor Sporting they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Defensor Sporting

Matías Abaldo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Cerrito join the queue for Matteo Correia

Add another name to the list: Cerrito have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Matteo Correia. The answer from Defensor Sporting has not changed — yet.

Squad

No hiding place for Kevin Dawson

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kevin Dawson, and the manager let it.

Squad

Xavier Biscayzacú is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.34 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Player ratings

One of those days for Xavier Biscayzacú

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.60, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

96 Edition

The Defensor Sporting Courier

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Defensor Sporting are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 28 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Matías Abaldo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Defensor Sporting this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Lucas de los Santos shuts the door

Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Simphiwe Selepe

Marked 9.77 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Valentín Rodríguez runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Brian Montenegro

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Simphiwe Selepe

9 goals and a season average of 7.33 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Defensor Sporting find a way past Cerro Largo

Cerro Largo made Defensor Sporting work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Lucas Agazzi in the eights

A performance of 8.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief