Villalba sent off, Cruzeiro lose to Atlético, out of Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

Cruzeiro are out of the Copa do Brasil. Raposa lost 2-1 to Atlético-MG this Tuesday (1st) at Arena MRV in the second leg of the quarterfinals and bowed out of the competition. After a 1-1 draw at Mineirão, the team in blue took the lead in the decisive derby but conceded a second-half comeback and could not hold on to the advantage.

Kaio Jorge put Cruzeiro ahead in the first half, converting a penalty and reaching his 50th goal for the club. In the second half, however, the match changed after Lucas Villalba was sent off. With an extra man, Atlético applied pressure and turned it around through Victor Hugo and Fred.

With the elimination, Cruzeiro’s campaign ends in the quarterfinals, and the club misses the chance to play in another Copa do Brasil semifinal.

Atlético start better, but Cruzeiro take the lead

Atlético-MG began the derby looking to pressure Cruzeiro and created the first chances of the match. Just two minutes in, Mateo Cassierra rose to meet a free kick and hit Otávio’s post.

The home side threatened again in the sixth minute. Cuello crossed from the right, Jonathan Jesus failed to clear, and Bernard appeared free in front of Otávio, who made the save. On the rebound, Fred shot over.

Cruzeiro responded in the ninth minute, when Arroyo received the ball after a good move involving Wesley and Lucas Romero and shot from outside the box. Everson saved it.

In the 17th minute, Matheus Pereira nearly opened the scoring with a shot from outside the area. The No. 10’s effort went just wide of Atlético’s post.

Cruzeiro began to find more space and threatened again through Arroyo in the 21st minute. The Ecuadorian tried his luck from medium range and forced Everson into an awkward save.

In the 27th minute, Raposa had a great chance to open the scoring. Atlético made a mistake while playing out from the back, Arroyo won possession and found Kaio Jorge, who was brought down by Vitão inside the area. Raphael Claus pointed to the spot.

From the penalty, in the 29th minute, Kaio Jorge sent Everson the wrong way and put Cruzeiro ahead.

The goal increased the tension in the derby, and Atlético tried to respond before halftime. In the 48th minute, Cassierra headed goalward after a corner, but Cruzeiro’s defense managed to clear the danger.

With a narrow lead, Cruzeiro went into halftime 45 minutes away from sealing qualification for the semifinal.

Red card changes the game and Atlético complete the comeback

Right at the start of the second half, Cruzeiro nearly doubled the lead in unusual fashion. In the sixth minute, Kaio Jorge tried to cross with his left foot and the ball struck Everson’s post.

The picture began to change in the 15th minute, however. Lucas Villalba, who had already been booked in the first half, was shown another yellow and sent off, leaving Cruzeiro with ten men.

From then on, Atlético pushed even further into the attacking half and increased the pressure in search of an equalizer. Cruzeiro had to drop deeper to protect the lead and found it increasingly difficult to play out.

Artur Jorge tried to reorganize the team and made changes, but Atlético continued to control the attacking play.

In the 32nd minute, the pressure finally brought the equalizer. Victor Hugo found space inside the box and finished past Otávio.

Cruzeiro still had their goalkeeper to prevent the turnaround. In the 35th minute, Otávio made a big save after an effort from Alan Minda. Soon after, Vitor Hugo almost scored with a header.

In the 42nd minute, Victor Hugo again found space inside the area and hit the post. The winner, however, came a minute later. Fred received the ball at the edge of the box and fired home a fine finish to put Atlético-MG 2-1 ahead.

In the final minutes, Cruzeiro could not find the strength to respond. With the lead, Atlético controlled the closing stages and confirmed qualification in front of their home fans.

Cruzeiro exit the Copa do Brasil in the quarterfinals

The 2-1 defeat ended Cruzeiro’s 2026 Copa do Brasil campaign. After the draw in the first leg at Mineirão, Raposa had qualification in their hands when they opened the scoring at Arena MRV, but Villalba’s sending-off completely changed the course of the tie.

Kaio Jorge, scorer of Cruzeiro’s goal, reached 50 goals for the club in the derby. The striker also scored for the seventh time in ten matches against Atlético-MG.

With the elimination, Cruzeiro miss out on a semifinal place and also lose access to the R$9 million prize money awarded to clubs that reach that stage. Atlético-MG now await the winner of Grêmio vs. Internacional to find out their semifinal opponent.

Raposa will now have to turn their full focus back to the Brazilian Championship. Their next match will be on Sunday (6) at 4 p.m. against Athletico-PR at Mineirão in Round 26. Cruzeiro currently sit sixth with 39 points.

Match details

Atlético-MG 2 x 1 Cruzeiro

Competition: Copa do Brasil – quarterfinals, second legDate: September 1, 2026 (Tuesday)Kickoff: 9 p.m. (Brasília time)Venue: Arena MRV, Belo Horizonte (MG)

Goals: Kaio Jorge, 29’ 1st half (Cruzeiro); Victor Hugo, 32’ 2nd half, and Fred, 43’ 2nd half (Atlético-MG).

Yellow cards: Natanael (Atlético-MG); Otávio, Lucas Villalba, Lucas Romero and Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro).

Red card: Lucas Villalba, 15’ 2nd half (Cruzeiro).

Cruzeiro: Otávio; Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus (João Marcelo, 35’ 1st half) and Lucas Villalba; Lucas Romero, Gerson (Matheus Henrique, 19’ 2nd half) and Matheus Pereira (Gabriel Rojas, 19’ 2nd half); Wesley (Kaique Kenji, 12’ 2nd half), Keny Arroyo and Kaio Jorge (Néiser Villareal, 19’ 2nd half). Head coach: Artur Jorge.

Atlético-MG: Everson; Natanael (Gustavo Scarpa, 26’ 2nd half), Ruan Tressoldi (Vitão, 16’ 1st half), Vitor Hugo and Renan Lodi; Kevin Castaño, Alan Franco (Alan Minda, 20’ 2nd half) and Fred; Bernard (Victor Hugo, 20’ 2nd half), Tomás Cuello and Mateo Cassierra (Reinier, at halftime). Head coach: Eduardo Domínguez.

Referee: Raphael Claus (SP)Assistant referees: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) and Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos (PR)VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (SP)

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