Junior Alonso rues draw but happy with altitude result: "We'd take it" | OneFootball

Atlético let an important victory slip away at the altitude of La Paz, but returns to Belo Horizonte with a 2-2 draw against Bolívar this Wednesday (17th), at the Hernando Siles stadium, in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals. Galo took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with goals from Vitor Hugo and Alexsander, but saw the Bolivians react and equalize in the second half.

After the match, Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso spoke to the press in the mixed zone and acknowledged the frustration with the result, although he considered the draw a good scenario for the remainder of the tie.

“If someone had told us before the game that this would be the result, we would have signed for it. But the way it happened, we’re sad, we couldn’t hold on to the important lead we had. But aside from that, we did a great job, according to the game plan. We tried to close down the middle of the pitch well. Now we take a good result back to BH, with the possibility of playing a great game next Wednesday as well,” Alonso highlighted.

Searching for confidence

Atlético is going through a delicate moment in the season. In the last eight matches, they have achieved only one victory, and the inconsistency has worried the fans. For Alonso, getting back to winning is crucial to restore the team’s confidence.

Progress with Sampaoli

The Paraguayan also commented on the impact of the first few weeks of work with Jorge Sampaoli, who recently took over as head coach.

“Yes, we’ve improved a lot. He always wants to press, always be the protagonist. Today, because of the altitude, he had a different approach. But on Saturday against Botafogo and again against Bolívar, we’re going to change our playing style,” the defender added.

With the draw, Atlético only needs a simple win next Wednesday (24th), at Arena MRV, to advance to the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana. Before that, the team faces Botafogo in the Brazilian Championship on Saturday (20th), in Rio de Janeiro.

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