Atlético held to a draw by Athletic, face trouble in the Mineiro | OneFootball

Atlético missed the chance to secure a spot in the semifinals of the Campeonato Mineiro by drawing 1-1 with Athletic this Saturday at Arena MRV. Even after taking the lead early in the match with Renan Lodi, the black-and-white team couldn’t hold onto the advantage and ended up conceding the equalizer in the second half—a result that keeps Galo in a delicate situation as the group stage nears its decisive end.

MATCH SUMMARY

Galo started aggressively and was rewarded just five minutes in. After a good attacking move, Renan Lodi appeared well in the middle of the box and finished with his left foot to open the scoring. Even with the early goal, Atlético couldn’t turn their territorial control into absolute dominance.

The black-and-white team had more possession and offensive presence, creating some chances with Igor Gomes, Tomás Cuello, and Gustavo Scarpa, but once again struggled with finishing. They lacked clarity in the final pass and precision in their shots to extend the lead in the first half.

Athletic, on the other hand, was not intimidated. Even playing away from home, they sought to attack mainly through medium and long-range shots, creating danger with at least two attempts that required good defensive interventions and alertness from the Atlético goalkeeper.

The first half was also quite scrappy, with many fouls, cards, offsides, and stoppages due to injury, which broke the rhythm of the match and prevented a longer sequence of continuous play.

Galo came back pressing and started piling up chances, especially after the introductions of Hulk, Bernard, and Victor Hugo, who brought more offensive presence to the team. Atlético controlled possession, occupied the opponent’s half, and created several opportunities, but again ran into poor finishing and Athletic’s well-organized defense.

In the 13th minute, the game took a turning point. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty to Athletic for a foul by Vitor Hugo on Dixon Vera. Ronaldo Tavares converted the penalty in the 17th minute, leveling the match and completely changing the scenario of the contest.

After the equalizer, Atlético increased the pressure even more. Despite the offensive volume and persistence until the seventh minute of stoppage time, the winning goal didn’t come. Athletic, meanwhile, closed ranks, relied on occasional counterattacks, and managed to hold onto the result, securing the draw away from home.

WHAT’S NEXT

With the draw, Atlético heads into the final round outside the qualification zone for the semifinals and no longer depends solely on itself to advance. The team has 11 points and occupies second place in Group A, needing to beat Itabirito next Saturday at Castor Cifuentes stadium, and also hoping for a combination of results—either a slip-up from URT to take the group lead, or from direct rivals in the race for the best second-place campaign.

Athletic, meanwhile, remains at the bottom of Group C with six points and enters the final round under pressure, needing to beat Tombense and count on other results to avoid relegation. Now, the black-and-white team turns its focus to the Campeonato Brasileiro, where they will face Remo next Wednesday (11th) at Arena MRV, for the 3rd round of the Brasileiro.

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