Atlético-MG lost 2-1 to Tolima, on the night of this Wednesday (25) at the Mineirão stadium, and saw an unbeaten run of 18 matches in the Copa Libertadores (the biggest in the competition’s history) interrupted.
??? Colombia Ball! THE @cdtolima hit the @Athletic 2-1 at Mineirão and qualified for the round of 16 of CONMEBOL #Liberators. Galo lost an 18-game unbeaten run, the longest in the Cup’s history. pic.twitter.com/OAAYbtDpE4
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) May 26, 2022
However, even with this setback, Galo managed to close the first phase in the lead of Group D of the competition with 11 points, the same score as Tolima, who achieved a lower goal difference (4-1).
After a busy initial stage, in which midfielder Rubens even hit a ball on the crossbar, the Colombian team managed to open the scoring nine minutes into the second half. Ibargüen made a good move down the right and crossed to the area, where Michael Rangel didn’t forgive him with a header.
At a disadvantage in the marker, coach Antonio Mohamed’s team went ahead, and got the tie in the 42nd minute. After a corner kick, Fábio Gomes won on top of goalkeeper Domínguez and leaned towards the edge of the area, where Eduardo Sasha arrived, violently hitting left, to score a beautiful goal.
However, four minutes later, Galo hesitated and allowed Lucumí to pull the counterattack from the midfield with great freedom, score with Plata, and receive in the area to hit with category to guarantee the final triumph of Tolima.
After finishing their participation in the first phase of the Copa Libertadores, Atlético-MG focuses on the Brasileiro, a competition in which they receive Avaí at Mineirão on Sunday (29).
