Atlético let it slip late, draw with Botafogo at Arena MRV | OneFootball

Atlético let an important win slip away on Sunday afternoon (10), drawing 1-1 with Botafogo at Arena MRV in a match valid for the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship. Galo were the better side for much of the contest, created the best chances, and came close to extending their lead, but ended up punished in the closing minutes after defensive mistakes.

With the result, the team coached by Eduardo Domínguez moves to 18 points and sits 12th in the table. Botafogo also have 18 points and are just above them in 11th place.

Galo efficient and dangerous in the first half

Even with less possession, Atlético managed to control their opponent well and were more incisive going forward. Relying on quick transitions and vertical attacks, Galo found spaces in the Rio side’s defense and opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.

Cuello received the ball on the right, surged forward at pace, and sent in a low cross. Botafogo’s defense only partially cleared it, and the ball fell to Cassierra, unmarked in the box. The striker controlled it calmly, set himself, and fired high past Neto to make it 1-0 for Atlético.

After the goal, the Minas Gerais side dropped deeper and looked even more to exploit counterattacks. Even while conceding possession to Botafogo, Atlético remained the more dangerous team and ended the first half in solid control defensively.

Atlético waste chances and are punished late

After the break, Botafogo turned up the pressure and nearly equalized in the 11th minute, when Danilo tried his luck from the edge of the box and saw Mateo Ponte’s deflection hit the post.

The scare woke Atlético up again, and they began finding space once more while squandering important chances to kill the game off. In the 13th minute, Cuello struck from outside the box and forced Neto into a great save. Three minutes later, the Botafogo goalkeeper produced a real miracle: Lodi crossed from the left and Cuello appeared alone in the six-yard box to head it, but Neto made a point-blank save.

Galo still had other clear opportunities. In the 19th minute, Román found himself free after Lodi’s cross but headed wide. Then, in the 40th minute, Maycon delivered a free kick into the box and Vitor Hugo rose unmarked, but headed over the bar.

The missed chances proved costly. In the 44th minute, after a scramble in Atlético’s box following a throw-in, Arthur Cabral took advantage of Vitor Hugo’s mistimed jump and Junior Alonso’s marking error to finish unmarked and seal Botafogo’s equalizer: 1-1.

WHAT’S NEXT…

Atlético now turn their attention to the Copa do Brasil. Next Wednesday (13), Galo face Ceará in Fortaleza in the second leg of the round of 16. In the first leg, at Arena MRV, the Minas Gerais side won 2-1 and only need a draw to secure qualification.

In the Brazilian Championship, their next match will be on Saturday (16), once again at Arena MRV, against Mirassol.

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