Copa Libertadores: Palmeiras and Atlético Mineiro, equal in the first semifinal
They tied 0-0 in San Pablo and Hulk missed a penalty for the Belo Horizonte team; directed by Patricio Loustau
Defending champion Palmeiras could not enforce Atlético Mineiro’s home status, with which he drew 0-0 in the first semifinal of the 2021 Copa Libertadores, played behind closed doors at the Allianz Arena, in São Paulo. A situation that will not be repeated in the rematch at Mineirao, in Belo Horizonte, where the presence of 18,000 spectators will already be authorized.
The proposals of both teams were faithful to what they usually show, regardless of the scenarios in which they play, so the game was developed with Atlético Mineiro taking the initiative and Palmeiras betting on the counterattack, starting with the recovery in the middle of the field, an area neglected for any creative soccer attitude.
Of course, these devices occurred in the field of Palmeiras, the defender of the title, who never sought to have the leading role in the actions despite being local, something that he did not resign in those circumstances because it was ultimately what led to the last Libertadores win.
For his part, Atlético Mineiro, captained by Nacho Fernández, and well supported by Matías Zaracho, asserted the natural scrolls of the teams led by Cuca that keep him at this point in the season as the leader of the Brasileirao and went in search of the three points in São Paulo territory with two leading forwards of the stature of Diego Costa and Hulk.
The newcomer from Atlético de Madrid ended up displacing the Chilean Eduardo Vargas, who played just the final quarter of an hour of the match when he entered precisely for Zaracho and Costa 20 minutes ago he had left the field due to a strain in the right hamstring.
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But for his own sake, the Hulk finally ended up becoming the figure of the match with his strenuous search for the goal in the final period, when he was replaced five minutes into the epilogue and showed all his annoyance with coach Cuca because he prevented him from taking revenge on the penalty. failed.
Now it will be time for revenge at the Mineirao stadium, where the first finalist of this Copa Libertadores will be consecrated which, like the previous one between Palmeiras and Santos, can be redefined between Brazilian teams if Flamengo, who this Wednesday from 9:30 p.m. will receive at the Maracana to Barcelona, of Ecuador, clinching the series ends will close in Guayaquil.
