Historic thrashing: Atlético crush Itabirito 7-2, reach Mineiro round | OneFootball

Atlético gave a resounding response on the field this Saturday night (14), thrashing Itabirito 7-2 at the Alçapão do Bonfim Stadium in Nova Lima. The match was valid for the 8th and final round of the first phase of the Campeonato Mineiro.

The game marked Galo’s first match after the departure of coach Jorge Sampaoli. Under the guidance of permanent assistant Lucas Gonçalves, the team showed changes and, above all, a much more aggressive offensive posture.

With this result, Galo qualified for the semifinals of the Campeonato Mineiro in first place in Group A, with 14 points. The black-and-white team will face América in the “semi,” who finished first in Group B with 15 points. On the other side of the bracket, Cruzeiro and Pouso Alegre will compete for a spot in the grand final.

Changes and Immediate Response

Lucas made two changes to the starting lineup. In defense, Vitor Hugo took Junior Alonso’s place. In midfield, Gustavo Scarpa came in for Bernard, playing in a more central role.

If Sampaoli’s request before his dismissal was for greater offensive effectiveness, Atlético wasted no time in showing it in the first 45 minutes—perhaps the team’s best first half in 2026. With only four shots in the opening half, Galo was extremely efficient and went up 3-0.

At 17 minutes, Natanael received a beautiful pass from Alan Franco on the right, reached the byline, and crossed perfectly for Victor Hugo to head in and open the scoring. The second came at 31′. Hulk took a flawless free kick from long range, hitting the top corner of Vinicius Dias’s goal and earning applause at the Alçapão do Bonfim.

Then, at 44 minutes, Victor Hugo made a good play down the right and found Alan Franco, who set up Gustavo Scarpa. The number 10 finished with his left foot, into the corner, to extend the lead: 3-0 before halftime.

Even More Devastating Second Half

If the first half was dominant, the second half was even more overwhelming. At six minutes, Dudu won the ball at the edge of the box, Hulk took possession, broke into the area, and fired home to score the fourth. Nine minutes later, the number 7 converted a penalty and recorded his first hat-trick in an Atlético shirt, making it five.

The sixth goal came at 26 minutes, when Cassierra scored his first goal for Galo, also from the penalty spot. At 30′, Renan Lodi hit a beautiful shot from outside the box to turn the victory into a historic rout: 7-0.

Itabirito still pulled two back with Romário Simões at 32′ and Mateus Apolinário at 41′, but nothing could diminish the brilliance of the black-and-white team’s performance.

Next Fixture

After closing the first phase of the Mineiro with a great performance, Atlético will return to the field only on February 25, when they face Grêmio in Porto Alegre, for the 4th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro.

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