Renan Lodi rues draw, celebrates first Galo goal, slams ref at Mineiro | OneFootball

Author of Atlético's goal in the 1-1 draw with Athletic last Saturday (07) at Arena MRV, left-back Renan Lodi spoke in the mixed zone after the match and expressed frustration with the result. Despite scoring his first goal in the black and white jersey, the player emphasized that the team's performance, especially in the second half, deserved a different outcome.

“Sad about today's result, it's not what we wanted. We deserved the win in the second half, for how we played. We are aware of what's happening in the Championship, it doesn't just depend on us. We're going into the last game thinking about winning and hoping for other results, that's what we have today”, he stated.

Galo took the lead early in the first half, in a play that caught attention: a long pass from goalkeeper Everson and a precise finish by Renan Lodi. The goal was the left-back's first with Atlético's jersey. When asked if the play had been practiced in training, the player confirmed that it was not accidental:

Like other players on the team, Lodi also expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing. In the club's understanding, there was an uncalled penalty on Cuello, committed by Douglas Pelé, at the end of the first half when Atlético was leading 1-0: “Since our first game, there have been some questionable plays and the referees never call anything for us. I don't know if they don't want us to win the seventh title in a row, but it's something very strange”, he said.

The left-back also commented on Atlético's moment in the Campeonato Mineiro and the internal pressure for results.“It's a pressure that has to happen. We are doing a good job, but the victories are not coming. We are always punished with a goal or something like that. But now it's about working to win the last game”, he analyzed. Lodi also dismissed the idea of a drop in performance in the final stages of matches. “I don't think we are dropping in performance in the second half, I believe we keep creating, creating and end up not scoring the goal. We always think about winning, the goal doesn't come, and then that desperation hits”, he added.

Atlético returns to the field next Wednesday (11), when they host Remo at Arena MRV, for the third round of the Brazilian Championship, at 8 PM. As for the Campeonato Mineiro, Galo ends its participation in the first phase on Saturday (14), against Itabirito, at 7 PM, at Alçapão do Bonfim, in Nova Lima.

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