At Arena MRV, Atlético-MG came from behind to defeat Godoy Cruz 2-1 this Thursday (14th), in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Conmebol Sudamericana.
Galo did not put on a good performance, especially in the first half, when they created little and saw the Argentinians open the scoring.
After a poor clearance by the defense, Santino Andino picked up the loose ball, got past the marker, and struck with his left foot into Everson’s top corner.
At the end of the first half, Arana even found the net, picking up the rebound from the goalkeeper in the box, but the play was ruled out for offside by Rony after a VAR review.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were tough on the field and tense for Atlético-MG fans, as the team was not creating chances.
The best attempt had been a free kick by Hulk, which the goalkeeper saved.
However, after a good exchange of passes on the left, Arana crossed, the goalkeeper went “chasing butterflies,” and the ball fell perfectly for Cuello to finish into the empty net.
In the final minutes, coach Cuca handed a debut to attacking midfielder Reinier, who came on for defender Lyanco.
And it was precisely the number 18, a Flamengo youth product and former Real Madrid player, who provided the chest assist for Hulk to blast it in and complete the comeback!
With this result, Atlético-MG only needs a draw next Thursday (21st) in Argentina to advance and face Bolívar or Cienciano (first leg 2-0).
The Argentinians need to win by two goals to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. If Godoy Cruz wins by one goal, the spot will be decided by penalties.
Before that, though, Galo returns to the field on Sunday (17th), when they host Grêmio at Arena MRV for the 20th round of the Brasileirão.
📸 DOUGLAS MAGNO – AFP or licensors
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