The Nacional Sentinel
The terraces22 Mar 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 9 of the 35 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Gerardo Ortiz keeps Nacional 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Nacional
Roberto Ramírez 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Hugo Benítez
“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.
Match20 Mar 2027
Olimpia take the points off Nacional
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
The one thing Hugo Benítez could not do
Shots: 9, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Celso Ortiz's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Josué Colmán runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The terraces22 Mar 2027
The spotlight tightens on Josué Colmán
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
- Player ratings A day to forget for Celso Ortiz
- Player ratings A day to forget for Danilo Santacruz
- Market The shop window has Juan González in it