Domínguez rues lack of cutting edge, laments Atlético defeat at Maracanã

In partnership with

Deus me Dibre

·22 Maret 2026

Domínguez rues lack of cutting edge, laments Atlético defeat at Maracanã

After another away defeat in the Brazilian Championship, coach Eduardo Domínguez analyzed Atlético's loss to Fluminense last Saturday (21) at Maracanã. Despite a superior performance in terms of offensive creation, Galo was defeated once again away from Belo Horizonte.

According to data from the SofaScore platform, Atlético created four great goal-scoring opportunities, compared to just one from the opponent, highlighting the team's difficulty in converting gameplay volume into results.

Video OneFootball

For Domínguez, the main issue for the team was the lack of effectiveness in finishing. The coach emphasized that, despite the good collective performance, the team faltered precisely at the decisive moment.

"I believe it was the lack of decisiveness. They had three shots on target, with one being an easy save for Everson. Our team had four or five shots close to the opponent's small area. Their goalkeeper emerged as the man of the match, as he was the one who secured the result," he stated.

The black-and-white commander also highlighted that, even with the negative result, he sees progress in the team, especially when playing as visitors — something that has been a recurring problem this season: "Of course, the result bothers us a lot. I can't speak about matches before my arrival, when we played as visitors, but today it seems to me that the team has evolved. Unfortunately, we need to improve this situation that has been occurring for some time," he added.

Another point addressed by Domínguez was the young players, like defender Ivan Román. A standout in the victory over São Paulo midweek, the defender ended up making a mistake in the play that led to Fluminense's goal, scored by Castillo. The Argentine coach asked for patience with the youngsters:

We need to remain calm as well. Román was a phenomenon before and now he's not good enough. We mentioned in the last press conference: the young players here have great potential, but they are still kids.

The coach also explained the change in the starting lineup, with Tomaz Pérez being replaced by Igor Gomes, highlighting that the decision was purely strategic.

It was a tactical move. I thought we lacked players in the attacking field, and Igor could fulfill that role. It's very painful to talk about this defeat since our opponent had few opportunities. We need to make an effort to remember the chances, from a team that usually scores many goals and creates numerous opportunities, especially when playing at their stadium. Even so, we didn't suffer.

Finally, Domínguez reinforced that the change in the team did not have a direct impact on the result, once again emphasizing the lack of efficiency as a determining factor.

"I believe that Pérez's departure, in my view of football, has no relation to the result. In some games, you might say 'we missed that player,' but not today. That didn't affect the group. Just in the first half, we missed two or three goals in the opponent's area. If we don't have decisiveness where we need it, the opponent will have an opportunity and will score," he concluded.

With the break for the FIFA Date, Atlético will have a longer period for adjustments and training. The team returns to the field on April 2, again away from home, against Chapecoense in Santa Catarina.

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