Same old story: Atlético lose again to Botafogo in Brasileirão | OneFootball

Atlético and Botafogo faced each other on the night of this Saturday (20), at the Nilton Santos stadium, in a match valid for the 24th round of the Série A of the Brazilian Championship. In different situations on the table, with Botafogo looking to establish itself in the fight for the G4 and Atlético wanting to distance itself from a possible fight against the relegation zone, the teams had in common only the phase of oscillation and little confidence from their fans.

For tonight's duel, Jorge Sampaoli was forced to make new changes to his team due to Alexsander's suspension, but he also made other changes, once again promoting a line of three defenders, but this time starting with Caio on the left wing and Reinier getting an opportunity in the starting 11. Thus, Galo took to the field:

First Half

The game started with Atlético trying to be vertical and reach the attack in quick transitions by its players. Slowing down the home team's momentum, Galo tried to prevent Botafogo from having much control of ball possession, which tried to reach the attack with speed and majority, mainly trying to make Atlético make mistakes within its defense field.

With a majority of players in the midfield, Galo had some control over the entrance of its area and began to worry about the sides, which were more exposed as its wings tried to move forward to seek the goal. The best opportunity of the first 20 minutes came in a great worked ball play by Botafogo, which ended in a cross into the area for Vitinho, who got behind Caio, but missed the finish, shooting wide.

Galo tried to create its best opportunities with the ball necessarily passing through Hulk's feet, who returned to the starting team after being a substitute in the game against Bolívar last Wednesday. The black-and-white idol showed himself to be participative, even posing a threat with a free-kick saved by Léo Linck. Despite controlling ball possession, Atlético couldn't take advantage of the midfield to create chances, with Igor Gomes and Reinier having many difficulties holding the ball in the attack field.

The best opportunity for Galo came at 32 minutes, when a well-worked one-two between Hulk and Reinier ended in a shot by the midfielder, which hit the post and came back to Hulk, who finished and saw the ball deflected for a corner. Gradually, Atlético took advantage of quick transitions to try to fit good offensive plays.

Up to this point in the game, one of the hallmarks of the first half was the belligerent atmosphere among the players. Many discussions, more intense disputes, and fouls among the players forced the referee to control the match with many yellow cards in an attempt to curb animosities, but without much success.

The game, well contested between the teams, was heading for a 0-0 without major problems until, in a ball dispute in Atlético's area, striker Chris Ramos hit Igor Gomes with an elbow, off the play. VAR called referee Flávio Rodrigues de Souza, who checked the play and sent off Botafogo's number 9, leaving them with one less player already in the first half's stoppage time. With little time on the clock, Atlético couldn't take advantage of the numerical advantage, and the score remained blank in the first half.

Second Half

For the return, Sampaoli already made two changes to his team, aiming for better technical quality in the attack and pressuring Botafogo: Lyanco was replaced by Gustavo Scarpa, while Caio made way for Guilherme Arana. The goal was clearly to force Botafogo into defense and take advantage of the numerical advantage.

But Atlético barely had time to attack: right at the start of the second half, in a great play by Montoro, who lofted the ball onto Santi's head, who headed it alone, with no chance for Everson. Botafogo 1-0 at 3 minutes of the second half. The play, which seemed offside at its origin, needed to be reviewed by VAR but was validated after the lines were drawn.

Despite the numerical advantage and high ball possession, the goal made Atlético's team feel the pressure and nervousness, which generated much difficulty in creating good offensive plays and allowed Botafogo to defend with ease, risking counterattack plays. The superiority in ball possession was as evident – Galo maintained over 60% control with the ball at their feet – as the difficulty in creating more dangerous plays.

In an attempt to give more intensity to the team in attack, Sampaoli again changed the team, this time removing a midfielder (Igor Gomes) and adding another forward (Rony). Atlético continued to control ball possession and keep the game in their attack field, but still faced many difficulties in creating clear chances. As the game was heading towards the final minutes, Sampaoli made his team even more offensive. His last substitutions were the entries of Biel and Bernard, replacing Reinier and Natanael, respectively.

Past the 40-minute mark of the second half, it was up to Botafogo to defend against Galo's blitz, which forced in every way, both in field transitions and crosses into the area, which posed some threat to the defense but did not trouble goalkeeper Léo Linck. With 7 minutes of added time, Atlético's pressure intensified, forcing the defense of the Carioca black-and-white team to work hard in the final minutes and successfully: Botafogo's 1-0 victory over Atlético.

What's Next...

Now Atlético turns its attention to the Copa Sudamericana. The team returns to the field next Wednesday (24), when they face Bolívar for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, at Arena MRV. A simple victory qualifies Atlético, who drew in the first leg 2-2.

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