Sampaoli praises fans after historic Copa Sudamericana final spot

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·29 October 2025

Sampaoli praises fans after historic Copa Sudamericana final spot

Arena MRV experienced a historic night last Tuesday (28). With a packed house and a commanding performance, Atlético defeated Independiente del Valle (ECU) 3-1 and secured an unprecedented spot in the Copa Sudamericana final. After the match, coach Jorge Sampaoli gave a press conference and praised the team’s strength when playing at home, a record maintained under his leadership, as the coach has never lost a home game while managing Galo from the sidelines.

The numbers are impressive. Counting both of his stints at Atlético, the Argentine has accumulated 25 home games, with 18 wins, 7 draws, and no losses. That’s a success rate of over 80% and a home advantage that has become a key asset for the team.

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“At times, football gives you the chance to align with a lot of different factors. I believe there’s an energy we’ve regained when playing at home. Now, we have the obligation to recover when playing away. But as a home team, I’ve never experienced losing a match. I’m very happy about that, about this great connection that I hope will continue,” the coach emphasized.

In addition to celebrating the team’s on-field moment, Sampaoli also spoke about the connection with Atlético’s fans, something he didn’t have the chance to fully experience during his first stint at the club in 2020 due to the pandemic.

It’s strange. In 2020 there was the pandemic, the team played very well, but the fans couldn’t be in the stadium. I didn’t have that connection with Galo’s supporters, personally speaking. But it would be something very special. Honestly, one of the reasons I’m at Galo is, in fact, because of the fans’ request. The truth is I’m happy about that, since I never had contact with the fans because of the pandemic. Even so, my name generated so much buzz and that brings me great joy.

The victory over Del Valle came with goals from Hulk, Arana, and Bernard, in front of more than 40,000 fans who turned Arena MRV into a cauldron. Atlético dominated the game and gave no chances to the Ecuadorian rival, securing their place in the grand continental final. In the first leg, in Quito, the 1-1 draw held until the end of the match.

With this result, Galo awaits the winner between Lanús (ARG) and Universidad de Chile (CHI) to find out who they will face in the Sudamericana final, which will be played as a single match on November 22 in Paraguay.

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