Junior Alonso rues Atlético-MG’s lack of cutting edge: “We paid” | OneFootball

The defender Junior Alonso believes that Atlético-MG's lack of efficiency was decisive for their runner-up finish in the Copa Sudamericana. This Saturday, Galo was defeated by Lanús 5-4 on penalties at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Paraguay.

Atlético-MG had several opportunities throughout the match, but the clearest one came five minutes into the second half of extra time. Hul served Biel, who found himself one-on-one with Losada, but was stopped by the Lanús goalkeeper. In the Galo captain's view, the team was punished for their lack of effectiveness.

"It's a feeling of sadness because we work all year focused on these goals. We know that when you reach the final, there's a chance to win or lose, but we had great confidence, we deserved the victory, but when you don't score, you end up paying for it," he lamented in an interview with SBT.

"We are sad, but there's no way around it. Starting tomorrow, we have to focus on Tuesday's game and try to finish the Brazilian Championship in the best way possible," added the Paraguayan.

As a result, Atlético-MG missed the opportunity to complete their international trophy collection and the chance to win an unprecedented title. Galo finished as runners-up and, as a prize, received 2 million dollars (about R$ 11.3 million).

Now, Atlético-MG shifts its focus to the Brazilian Championship, as Alonso mentioned. This Tuesday, the Minas Gerais team hosts Flamengo at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) for the 36th round.

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