Battaglia scores in injury time and Atlético-MG beats São Paulo at Morumbis

On Wednesday night, the 28th, São Paulo and Atlético Mineiro faced each other at 9:30 pm, at the Morumbis stadium, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil. With a goal in injury time, Atlético goes into the return leg in BH with the advantage.

First half

Atlético Mineiro started the match controlling the intensity and moving well, but São Paulo, alert, managed to hold off the opponent's attacks. The São Paulo team balanced the game and had the first good chance with a combination between Rato and Calleri, which resulted in a dangerous shot from outside the area, saved by Éverson.

Hulk then left Scarpa in good position to finish, but the number 6 opted to shoot instead of passing to Paulinho, who was free on the left; Rafael made a safe save.

With both teams focused on marking, the game became truncated, centralized, bureaucratic and with many fouls, which hindered the flow of the match. In the 32nd minute, Rato found space at the edge of the area and took another chance, but Everson was well positioned and made another good save.

The first half was characterized by few goal opportunities and intense defensive application by both teams, with the game being more about physical effort than creativity.

Before kick-off, players paid tribute to Nacional-URU defender Juan Izquierdo, who passed away on Tuesday, with the teams gathered in the central circle for a minute of silence in memory of the athlete.

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_{Minute of silence (Reproduction/ Gettyimages Embed)}

Close game and goal in injury time

The second half maintained the characteristics of the first half, with São Paulo dominating the action through good passing exchanges, which resulted in dangerous opportunities. Lucas Moura, the most incisive player of the São Paulo team, stood out by putting pressure on the opposing defense. Atlético Mineiro, on the other hand, had difficulty escaping the marking and failed to create plays in the final third of the field.

In the 38th minute, Calleri received the ball on the right, got away from his marker and shot dangerously, but Éverson made an important save. São Paulo continued to try to open the scoring, and Lucas, completely free in the area, headed the ball powerfully, but it went out of bounds.

Even under pressure, Atlético Mineiro sought to attack in the final minutes. The referee allowed five minutes of stoppage time, and in the 46th minute, after a precise free kick by Gustavo Scarpa, Rodrigo Battaglia headed the ball into the corner and found the net. The goal was reviewed by VAR, the lines were drawn, and the referee confirmed the goal for Atlético, sealing the victory.

Return game

The return leg between Atlético MG and São Paulo will be held at the MRV Arena in Belo Horizonte on September 12. The team that advances to the next stage will face either Athletico Paranaense or Vasco da Gama, according to the tournament bracket. Athletico and Vasco will face each other in the first leg this Thursday (29) at the São Januário Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with kick-off scheduled for 8 pm (Brasília time).

Featured photo: Rodrigo Batagglia/ Reproduction/ Gettyimages Embed