Scarpa urges caution, Lodi praises Atlético’s grit at Mineiro

In partnership with

Deus me Dibre

·15 February 2026

Scarpa urges caution, Lodi praises Atlético’s grit at Mineiro

The 7-2 thrashing of Itabirito at Alçapão do Bonfim in Nova Lima secured Atlético a spot in the semifinals of the Campeonato Mineiro, taking the top position in Group A. After the match, midfielder Gustavo Scarpa and left-back Renan Lodi spoke in the mixed zone and analyzed the team's current form.

Scorer of one of the goals in the rout, Gustavo Scarpa highlighted the importance of the result for the group's morale, but made a point to emphasize that the large scoreline should not be used as a benchmark for the challenges Galo will face throughout the season.

OneFootball Videos

It's a win that brings us a lot of confidence, but with much respect to Itabirito, it's not a game we will use as a benchmark. We have big challenges throughout the year, but our mission today was to win, and we succeeded.

The number 10 also described the score as unusual and noted that the team could have extended it even further: “It was a somewhat atypical scoreline, we still created other opportunities, hit the post. We slipped up at the end, but the team deserves congratulations”.

Lodi compares goal and talks about happiness at Galo

Renan Lodi, who scored a beautiful goal from outside the area, was asked if the goal was among the most beautiful of his career. The full-back responded with good humor, citing a memorable moment in Europe.

I think there's a goal I scored in the Champions League that was prettier, but I'm very happy to score another goal wearing this jersey and to say that I'm very happy. Things don't always go the way we want, but whenever I'm on the field, I'll honor Atlético's jersey as much as possible.

The player also commented on the difficulties faced by Atlético during the first phase of the State Championship, especially in games that ended in draws: “We drew a lot, and that doesn't mean we always played badly, but the ball wasn't going in. This made things difficult for us, making the players anxious, wanting to score and it wasn't happening. That hindered us. But today we showed that when we have the opportunities and score the goals, everything becomes easier“, he concluded.

Knockout stage dates

According to the regulations released by the Federação Mineira de Futebol (FMF), the first leg of the semifinals is scheduled for next Saturday, the 21st, and Sunday, the 22nd. The return matches are expected to take place on February 28th and 29th, also on a Saturday.

The detailed days and times will still be officially confirmed by the entity. Atlético faces América, while Cruzeiro and Pouso Alegre clash in the other semifinal.

Before the second and decisive match of the state semifinal, Atlético returns to the field on February 25th, when they face Grêmio in Porto Alegre, for the 4th round of the Brazilian Championship.

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