Atlético beat Cienciano at Arena MRV, one win from direct progress | OneFootball

Atlético took an important step toward securing first place in Group B of the Copa Sudamericana. On Thursday night (21), Galo beat Peru’s Cienciano 2-0 at Arena MRV, in a match valid for the fifth round of the continental competition’s group stage. Atlético’s winning goals were scored in the first half by Renan Lodi and Bernard, both assisted by Cuello.

With the win in Belo Horizonte and the 1-1 draw between Venezuela’s Puerto Cabello and Uruguay’s Juventud, Atlético now needs only a simple win against Puerto Cabello itself next week to guarantee top spot in the group and advance directly to the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.

THE MATCH

Before kickoff, there was speculation over whether Eduardo Domínguez might rest some of his starters, but the lineup quickly answered any doubts. The coach kept virtually the entire core of the first-choice team and made just one change, bringing in Alexsander in place of Alan Franco.

On the pitch, the first half was completely dominated by Atlético. With intensity, movement, and pressure from the opening minutes, Galo pinned Cienciano back in its own half and created several chances. The scoring was opened in the 27th minute, when Cuello made a good play down the right and found Renan Lodi, who finished to make it 1-0. Shortly after, in the 39th minute, Cuello again turned provider and set up Bernard, who doubled the lead for the team from Minas Gerais.

In addition to the goals, Atlético also wasted other clear chances and could have gone into halftime with an even bigger advantage.

In the second half, the picture changed a little. Galo lowered the tempo and saw Cienciano grow into the match. The Peruvian side began to rely mainly on crosses into the box, once again a point of concern for Atlético’s defense. Even so, the visitors were unable to turn their improvement into goals.

In the closing minutes, Atlético picked up the pace again and created a few more chances to extend the scoreline, but poor finishing and saves by the Peruvian goalkeeper kept the score unchanged. In the end, the 2-0 win rewarded the consistent performance of the Minas Gerais side, especially for what it showed in the first 45 minutes.

WHAT’S NEXT…

Now, Atlético turns its attention to the Brazilian Championship. The next match will be on Sunday (24), at 6:30 p.m., against Corinthians at Neo Química Arena, in the 17th round of the national competition.

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