Héctor Cúper made statements after the heavy defeat of Universitario de Deportes by 4-0 against Deportivo Garcilaso on matchday 10 of the 2026 Clausura Tournament in Liga 1. The coach conducted a harsh self-criticism, acknowledging that his team failed in multiple aspects of the game.
“It’s very difficult to explain because we lacked everything. Not only did we fail to play better or defend better. We did everything wrong, there’s no doubt about it,” Cúper indicated when asked by the media after the match. He highlighted the need for the team to recognize its poor performance and to use the break for the FIFA date to correct its mistakes. “That has to be accepted, it has to be recognized, it shouldn’t be hidden, and we need to take advantage of this pause to resolve it, because this was not normal for this team.”
The Argentine coach also pointed out that Universitario was already facing difficulties in its gameplay, although he admitted that the team displayed a level lower than expected in all aspects. “It’s true that we were lacking, I even said it before the match, a little more play. But today, in all lines, we were erratic. Defensively, even on the goals, there wasn’t that reaction to quickly cover the play,” he explained.
Cúper emphasized that the team made errors that were difficult to understand and concerning. “The explanation I have is that today, and I repeat it, we committed all the mistakes that a team can make in a season. It really worries me because we have conceded many goals, although we have scored some as well. But today’s match is very difficult to explain and to understand what happened, because we lacked everything today.”
The defeat has a significant impact as it occurred against a direct rival in the battle for the Clausura Tournament. Universitario arrived at the match motivated after its victory over Alianza Lima, but faced a Deportivo Garcilaso that remained unbeaten in its first four home matches in the second semester.
Garcilaso started the match strongly, scoring its first goal in the 20th minute thanks to Aldair Salazar, followed by a second goal from Kevin Sandoval and a third goal from Agustín González after a mistake in the clearance by Piero Quispe. With a score of 3-0, Cúper made only one change, allowing Adrián Quiroz to enter. Garcilaso continued pressing and scored the fourth goal with a header from Facundo Castelli, while Universitario tried unsuccessfully to change the course of the match.
Garcilaso’s victory left Universitario out of first place in the standings, reaching 22 points and placing two points ahead of the Ate team. For Universitario, the main concern lies with its defense, having conceded a total of 15 goals in just 10 matches, an alarming figure that had not been recorded in the last three years.
Source: www.infobae.com
