Atlético lose Copa Sul-Americana final to Lanús on penalties | OneFootball

Atlético and Lanús faced off on the afternoon of this Saturday (22nd), in the grand final of the Copa Sudamericana. The clash, which put Brazilians and Argentinians face to face in a Defensores del Chaco stadium packed with Atlético fans, represented for Galo the chance to finish a turbulent season with a title and a spot in the 2025 Copa Libertadores.

For the final match, coach Jorge Sampaoli did something out of the ordinary and did not surprise with the starting eleven, maintaining a three-man defensive line and using Rony wide on the right, as he had hinted in recent games. Gustavo Scarpa started on the bench, and thus Galo took the field:

The match

First half with few chances

Under intense heat and a punishing sun, the opening minutes of the match were marked by low intensity and both teams struggling to create dangerous plays. Galo controlled possession more and tried to find Dudu and Rony with long passes, but also ran into the Argentinians’ defense.

Sampaoli’s team showed better compactness, managing to exchange passes more easily up to the final third, but lacked finesse when executing the final pass to find Hulk up front. Lanús, mainly through individual plays, tried to break through Atlético’s last defensive line, but also posed little threat.

The best opportunities of the first half belonged to Galo, especially from set pieces: Bernard, with skill, took a free kick from the edge of the box and the ball hit the post in what was the best chance so far. After that, Atlético gained momentum and managed to maintain more pressure, forcing the Lanús defense—who occasionally got confused—to scramble to clear the balls from the area.

Lanús even tried to force deep plays at the end of the first half, but all opportunities were well dealt with by Galo’s solid defense. Everson was barely called into action in the first half, which ended 0-0.

Second half dominated by Galo

The teams returned to the field with no substitutions, with Atlético looking to maintain control of the game through possession. Lanús, when they managed to attack, opted for long-range shots that posed no threat to Everson’s goal. Atlético sped up the game with quick passes, avoiding long balls and managing to create danger with combinations that ended with well-positioned players inside the Argentine box.

With the shadow covering much of the field, the game became more intense and less exhausting for the players, who showed more drive in attack. As the match progressed, past the 15-minute mark of the second half, Atlético was in command of the attack, while Lanús tried, with little success, to counterattack, but was easily stopped by the midfield line, with Igor Gomes doing a good job in recovery.

Gradually, the best chances began to appear from set pieces. With little creativity and increasingly struggling to mark, Lanús started leaving more spaces and resorted to fouling to stop Atlético’s momentum. Hulk, with a direct free kick, threatened Losada’s goal.

Sampaoli’s first substitution came at 32 minutes into the second half: Gustavo Scarpa came on for Bernard, playing mainly through the midfield and trying to add more creativity to the attack. On the other side, Lanús’ coach responded with another offensive change: Dylan Aquino came on for Carrera.

The match took on a dramatic tone, with Atlético struggling to build attacking plays as they had before. To change the rhythm, Sampaoli brought on Alexsander and Caio Paulista for Alan Franco and Arana, respectively. The latter left the field feeling pain.

With three minutes of added time, Lanús even risked pushing their lines up and pressing Atlético, but their lack of attacking quality meant none of their plays even threatened Atlético’s goal. And so, with little intensity, regular time ended 0-0 and the match went to extra time.

Match stats after 90 minutes:

Atlético finished regular time with the advantage in possession (56% to 44%) and more completed passes (439 to 337), showing they had most of the control. In shots, both teams were even (8 each), but it was clear that Galo’s chances were more dangerous, especially Bernard’s shot that hit the post.

Scoreless extra time

At the start of extra time, both coaches made changes. Mauricio Pellegrino made two changes for Lanús, bringing on Walter Bou for Castillo, while Sampaoli brought on Biel for Dudu.

With more fatigue, chances started to appear for both teams, but Galo posed more danger thanks to the quality of their attackers. Hulk was the brains of the attack and helped the team when they had possession. Caio had a good chance entering the box and shooting wide after a nice exchange with Biel and Scarpa. Lanús, meanwhile, couldn’t get the ball to their attackers, even with fresh legs on the field.

The best opportunity came from Scarpa, who was left free in the box and crossed to Biel, unmarked, who headed straight at goalkeeper Losada. With Atlético’s pressure mounting, Lanús made their last two changes: Marcelino Moreno and Perez made way for Méndez and Ramírez.

The first half of extra time ended 0-0.

For the second half of extra time, Sampaoli also made his last change, bringing on Saravia for Rony. The match opened up even more, with both teams having space to carry the ball, which gave Atlético an advantage offensively, while Lanús, even breaking quickly, produced little.

The best chance of the match fell to Biel, after a great recovery by Igor Gomes. The play was worked from foot to foot until it reached the striker one-on-one with Losada, but Biel finished poorly and Lanús managed to clear. After that, the game became more locked and both teams seemed content to take it to penalties, which is what happened. Lanús still had time for one more substitution, bringing on idol Lautaro Acosta for the shootout.

Penalties:

The first kick was by Walter Bou, who shot poorly and Everson made a good save.The second kick was by Hulk, who also shot poorly and Losada saved.The third kick was by Izquierdoz, who shot to the opposite corner and scored.The fourth kick was by Gustavo Scarpa, who shot to the opposite corner and equalized.The fifth kick was by Marcich, who shot down the middle and almost saw Everson save, but scored.The sixth kick was by Igor Gomes, who shot low and scored.The seventh kick was by Dylan Aquino, who shot to Everson’s side and put Lanús ahead.The eighth kick was by Biel, who shot and Losada saved.The ninth kick was by Lautaro Acosta, who shot down the middle and missed.The tenth kick was by Everson, who shot to the corner and tied the shootout.

Sudden death:

The first sudden death kick was by Cardozo, who shot down the middle and scored.The second sudden death kick was by Alexsander, who shot to the opposite corner and scored.The third sudden death kick was by Watson, who shot to Everson’s side and scored.The fourth sudden death kick was by Vitor Hugo, who shot down the middle and missed.

Lanús, 2025 Copa Sudamericana champions.

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