In a confrontation marked by terrible playing conditions, due to the rain that fell in Belo Horizonte, Inter got the better of Atlético at Arena MRV, beating Galo in a match valid for the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship, 3 x 1.
Focusing on the cups, Atlético, led by Gabriel Milito, once again had an alternative team. The game, which started out balanced, was impacted by heavy rain in the second half, which hampered Galo’s attempt to get the result. With the defeat, the team remains far from the G6, parked in 10th place, 10 points behind São Paulo, which occupies the last place qualifying for next year’s Copa Libertadores.
Atlético is now confident in the team’s good performance in the cups. It will decide next Tuesday (29), the place for the Libertadores final, and next Sunday (03), against Flamengo at Maracanã, the first game of the Copa do Brasil final.
After the clash against Internacional, Atlético’s coach highlighted that the team entered focused on the game, without thinking about upcoming commitments: “Our minds were not on the next game, nor on future games. Our head was on today’s game, totally focused on what we needed to do here. It’s not true that we were thinking about the next game after this one. We wanted to play a great match today and win. The first half was balanced; We conceded two goals in a row, one after the other, but the team reacted and scored, going into the break 2-1, with good feelings.”said Milito.
The coach classified the second stage as “impossible to play”:
The second half was impossible to analyze, especially as the conditions favored the winning team. The state of the field hurt the team that was behind on the scoreboard, because it was impossible to play. Therefore, I tried to talk to the referee to stop the match, due to the conditions that made football impossible and also due to the risk of injuries to the players.
Milito even tried to adapt, betting on bringing defenders Igor Rabello and Maurício Lemos forward into the attack. The coach explained that the strategy was motivated by the lack of playing conditions. “We hadn’t trained on this, but it was an emergency situation. The court was impractical, so we needed to use long balls. I decided to advance Rabello and then add Maurício Lemos to try to have presence and height in the attack”justified the decision.
After the defeat in the Brazilian Championship, Atlético’s focus turns to the Libertadores semi-final, where they will face River Plate in Argentina. Despite a comfortable 3 x 0 lead, built in the first game at Arena MRV, Milito knows that the opponent will not give up.
River is a very big club. With their coach (Marcelo Gallardo) in the Copa Libertadores, they have a trajectory marked by great reactions. In 2015, for example, they lost 1-0 at home to Cruzeiro, but came to Brazil and won 3-0.
Aware of River’s strength, Milito showed confidence and stated that he does not enter the field to play for advantage:
We are also confident that we can go to Buenos Aires and play a great match. What will happen, I don’t know, but I’m sure the players will compete very well. Let’s go with the mentality of playing hard and not just defending a partial advantage. We want to enter the field with character, personality and a lot of confidence, as this will be fundamental.
Regarding the physical condition of the players traveling tomorrow, the coach said he could not count on Zaracho. The midfielder underwent surgery for a sports hernia and has been absent from the black and white club since August 20th: “We finished the game well, and all the players will be available, with the exception of Cadu, Zaracho and Bernard”.
Galo continues its preparation for the decisive game against River Plate and leaves for Buenos Aires tomorrow, with the expectation of guaranteeing its place in the grand final of the Copa Libertadores. Milito’s team decides the place on Tuesday (29), at the Monumental de Núñez Stadium. Atlético has a 3-0 lead as a result of the home match last Tuesday and could lose by up to two goals as they advance to the grand final of the competition.
