Ludueña, frustrated yet hopeful: «Unión can challenge at the top»

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·25 de julio de 2026

Ludueña, frustrated yet hopeful: «Unión can challenge at the top»

Juan Pablo Ludueña was one of Unión’s standout players in the 2-2 draw against Platense on the opening matchday of the Torneo Clausura. The defender not only put in a solid performance at the back, but also scored one of the goals that allowed El Tatengue to come from behind, at least temporarily, in Vicente López.

After the match, the center-back valued the point earned away from home, although he admitted the squad was left with a bitter taste because of the way victory slipped away at the end.

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“Luckily, I got the goal, which I’d been looking for for a long time. We’re taking home a point that will be important. We wanted all three, but it slipped away from us at the end. Still, picking up points away from home always helps,” he said.

Ludueña also highlighted the team’s response in a difficult context, marked by Maizon Rodríguez’s injury and the entrance of several young players who made their First Division debut.

“With Maizon’s injury, Fagioli came on, and it was his debut, and these are things that happen. You have to be ready for anything,” he said.

He also stressed the support the more experienced players gave so the youngsters could face the challenge calmly.

“A lot of the boys had never made their debut before. Those of us with more experience tried to give them peace of mind and support them so they could play with confidence.”

Speaking about the play that led to his goal, the defender explained how it developed and took the chance to dedicate the goal to a very special family member.

“I started the run from deep. I thought Tarragona was going to give it back to me, but the play continued down the other side. Juli Palacios sent in a terrific cross and I was able to head it in.”

He then added emotionally:

“As always, the goal was for my family, and especially for a cousin who passed away a few years ago.”

On a personal level, Ludueña recalled the effort he made to earn a place in the team after going through a long period without regular playing time.

“I’ve been fighting for this for a long time. I spent almost two years without playing, and now that I’m getting my chance, I’m enjoying it. Hopefully I can repeat what I did last semester, and then we’ll see what happens with the future.”

Looking ahead, the defender admitted that the team still needs to correct some aspects, especially defending set pieces, although he showed confidence in the squad’s potential.

“It’s something that’s been costing us since the previous tournament. The first ball is causing us a lot of problems, but these are things we’re going to improve.”

And he closed with an optimistic message for the rest of the season:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.