Atlético-MG scored a heroic goal at high altitude in Quito, drawing 1-1 with Del Valle and leaving the decision for a spot in the final of the South American Cup evenly poised. The first leg of the semifinal was held at the Banco Guayaquil Stadium. Former Corinthians and Fluminense player Sornoza opened the scoring, but Dudu came on and, in extra time of the 2nd half, leveled the score. It was the first goal for the striker wearing the colors of the Minas Gerais team.
The teams will decide who goes to the final next Tuesday, this time at Galo’s home. The ball rolls at Arena MRV starting at 9:30 pm (Brasília time). Before that, the Minas Gerais team faces Ceará on Saturday for the Brazilian Championship. The Brazilian team started the match with a midfield-heavy lineup and saw Del Valle’s early pressure pay off in less than ten minutes. A penalty by Ruan on Mercado—strongly contested by Galo—allowed Sornoza to beat Everson and set the stage for an Ecuadorian blitz, but the score was not increased until halftime.
In the second half, the changes made by Jorge Sampaoli improved the visitors’ performance, and Hulk and Dudu came off the bench to shine. The former assisted the latter to seal the draw in extra time, silencing the Ecuadorian fans. Atlético-MG faltered… Attempting to react by exploiting possession, Galo had a good chance, but the lack of precision prevailed: Scarpa received the ball on the right wing, cut inside, and unleashed a beautiful shot, forcing Villar to stretch to deflect. The ball fell to Bernard, who failed to connect properly, making it an easy save.
Ecuadorian blitz. Gradually, Del Valle regained control of the game and started to trouble the opposing defense. Everson performed a miracle on a header from Spinelli, and Mercado came close to scoring from a shot that narrowly missed the Brazilian goalkeeper’s goal. There was even time for Hoyos to miss the target just before halftime. The Minas Gerais team improved, but… The 2nd half started with a substitution for the visitors: Natanael replaced Gabriel Menino and changed Jorge Sampaoli’s team’s tactical approach, gaining ground by relying on speed. That’s how Bernard sprinted down the left, cut inside, and saw Villar make a spectacular save. The play was one of the last involving the attacking midfielder, who made way for Dudu.
Hulk and Dudu make an impact. The two Atlético-MG veterans were called upon and caused problems for the markers. They quickly connected, but Dudu’s first shot was deflected and resulted in a corner. Shortly after, Hulk darted down the left wing and crossed perfectly for Vitor Hugo, who failed to find the target. The goal finally came in injury time when Hulk went one-on-one with Villar and laid it off to number 77, who scored his first goal wearing the Galo jersey.
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