It is the best of all: Five compelling reasons why the ‘U’ became champion of the Apertura and is the favorite to win the two-time championship

, declared an excited Fabián Bustos, the creator of the title. He arrived and from the outset they put a heavy backpack on his back: replace Jorge Fossati, the 2023 champion coach. And he did it in spades. He knew how to play the right keys for a formed and solid team. That was enough.

And we will talk about the hierarchy of Edison Flores the influence of Jose Rivera -first as a shock and then as a headline-, the security of Sebastian Britos in the arch, and of the great tournament of Andy Polo, chosen the best player. The outstanding ones will be named, but the ‘U’ has the collective as its great figure. There are the keys to a title that seems to be the first step towards the ultimate goal: the two-time championship in the year of its centenary.

The importance of adding at all stages

Sporting Cristal finished the competition as the team with the most victories: 13, one more than Universitario. But the difference is that the creams were more regular. They scored points almost always.

The meringues went to Cajamarca, Cusco, Trujillo and Tarapoto, and always returned with at least one point. Unlike last year when it was difficult for them to score on the visit, this time they knew how to play away from home. At altitude (against UTC, Deportivo Garcilaso, ADT and Cienciano) they rescued a draw against three rivals, they only lost against ADT in Tarma. On the plain they won four out of five, including the classic against Alianza Lima.

The numbers are valued more if you take into account that they competed in the Copa Libertadores at the same time and with a short squad. Sebastián Britos, Williams Riveros, Matías Di Benedetto, Andy Polo and Edison Flores are the ones who played the most with 17 games in the Apertura. There was little turnover, but not even fatigue could stop them.

Defeated direct rivals

The standings indicate that Universitario took first place, followed by Cristal, Melgar and Alianza Lima. The difference that the creams made is that they defeated their direct rivals in key duels. One hundred percent effectiveness, local or visiting.

He beat Melgar (1-0) and Cristal (4-1) at the Monumental, his unbreakable fortress. And they beat Alianza in Matute, the stadium where they celebrated the national title last year. It was, then, a stroke of authority on the table to demonstrate why he is the best.

Of the three, the most important victory perhaps came against the Rimenses. It was on date 15. The creams came in second place with one point less. And not only did they regain the lead, the four goals scored also served the final objective. The ‘U’ ended up becoming champion by a goal difference.

The least beaten

Paradoxically, Universitario won the Apertura Tournament by a goal difference against Sporting Cristal, the highest scoring team. To counteract the offensive power of the Rimenses, the ‘U’ relied on their defensive solidity: they received just seven goals in 17 games. According to statistician Jesús Chirinos, the meringues are the winners of the contest with the lowest percentage of goals conceded along with Cristal in 2018, which ended up taking the national title at the end of that year.

Alianza is the other Apertura team that received the fewest goals: 15 in total. That is, almost double the number conceded by those led by Fabián Bustos, the coach who built a solid team from back to front, prioritizing his goal before that of his rival.

Sebastián Britos is responsible for this point. Chosen as the best goalkeeper in Uruguayan football in 2023, he arrived at Ate to replace José Carvallo. He played every minute of all 17 games and kept a clean sheet in 12 of them. Of the seven goals he conceded, two were from penalties.

In front of him, the defense of three central defenders that is immovable despite the flaws they may have. Aldo Corzo, the captain, as stopper on the right. Williams Riveros as a libero with some weakness when he tries to anticipate a play. And Matías Di Benedetto on the left. Of the three, only Corzo played 16 games, the other two did have a presence in the championship from start to finish.

El Monumental: an unbreakable fortress

The Monumental para Universitario was the first key to its success. One hundred percent effectiveness playing at home: eight wins, 21 goals for and only one against. And in the last few days, when he needed to score goals, he did so: 6-0 against Comerciantes Unidos, 4-1 against Cristal and 4-0 against Los Chankas.

The creams have turned the Monumental into an unbreakable fortress. With the encouragement of the more than 50,000 fans who attend each match, they start each match with an advantage that they then know how to take advantage of to win.

They learned their lesson

If something was questioned about the ‘U’ last year, it was the number of expelled people that were added throughout the Apertura Tournament. In total there were ten, finishing the contest as the team with the most reds. For the Clausura they improved in this aspect and ended up with three expulsions.

The defect they lived with last year seems to be behind them. In this Apertura, the creams only suffered two red cards: Rodrigo Ureña and Matías Di Benedetto. The latter saw the card in the last game, against Los Chankas, in a play that for many is justified: he knocked down the rival striker outside the area when he was heading alone towards Britos’ goal. If they had scored, the ‘U’ would not be champions.