Atlético struggle and lose away to Corinthians | OneFootball

Atlético and Corinthians faced off on the night of this Saturday (18) in a match valid for the 29th round of the Série A of the Brazilian Championship. The game brought together direct opponents in the Brasileirão standings – Corinthians 13th and Atlético 14th – both seeking a recovery to earn points and climb positions.

For the away match at Neo Quimica Arena, Jorge Sampaoli opted for a very different team, with changes compared to the one that faced Cruzeiro in the last round, and hinted that he would prioritize his best players for the Tuesday duel against Independiente Del Valle, for the South American Cup.

First Half

The game started with the home team's momentum as expected. Making the most of the presence of the fans and with a more cohesive team, Corinthians maintained ball possession and forced the offensive volume in Atlético's field, even without creating many clear chances.

In the few moments when they managed to control ball possession, Atlético took advantage of long passes or even quick transitions, always looking for the striker Hulk in attack. But no play had continuity, with Biel usually missing the opportunities to build good plays.

Yuri Alberto, Timão's number 9, even posed a threat to Everson's goal, but even maintaining more than 70% of ball possession, the São Paulo team couldn't create clear chances against the well-positioned Atlético defense, with Alan Franco having a great game and Vitor Hugo being one of the highlights.

With many fouls and a game often stalled, the best moment of open play was from Corinthians, already in the final minutes, when they had a sequence of pressure, with Yuri Alberto and Maycon constantly activated by Depay. The left side of Atlético was the escape valve for Corinthians, who found Matheus Bidu capable of carrying the ball to the attack.

Despite having more ball possession and controlling more of the game, the first half ended with a blank score. A 0-0 that well explained the game's numbers: no accurate shots on goal from either side.

Second Half

For the second half, Sampaoli returned from the break with a change, putting Natanael in place of Saravia. And the second half started at a different pace, with Corinthians, in the first minute, posing a significant threat with a header from Yuri Alberto. In Atlético's response, in the following play, the ball lifted into the area ended with a header from Vitor Hugo that hit the post.

With a more open game and more spaces, it didn't take long for the score to open: Maycon received at the edge of the area, carried with space, and fired a strong shot, leaving Everson with no chance, opening the score at 4 minutes into the second half: Corinthians 1, Atlético 0.

Seeing Corinthians grow even more in the match after the goal, with Atlético cornered and with few chances to create plays, Sampaoli made new changes to the team, bringing in two "starters": Dudu and Bernard were brought on, replacing Igor Gomes and Biel, respectively.

Corinthians continued to maintain ball possession with great ease, this time managing to turn control into shots, but struggling to extend the lead. Sampaoli made further changes to the team, aiming for an even more offensive Galo: Caio Paulista made way for Guilherme Arana, while Fausto Vera was replaced by Gustavo Scarpa.

With 5 minutes of added time, Atlético continued trying to use counter-attacks, but without success, watching Corinthians control the match and secure the three points at home. End of the game: Corinthians 1, Atlético 0.

What's Next…

Now Galo turns its attention to the South American Cup. The team faces Independiente del Valle next Tuesday, in the altitude of Guayaquil, at 9:30 PM.

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