Analysis: Atletico Milito dominates and easily wins the Copa Libertadores and faces the “final test” on Sunday | Sports mg

Hey Atletico-MG They beat Caracas 4-1 on Thursday evening in Venezuela, and made their debut with an important victory in the Conmebol Libertadores tournament. With almost all the starting players and two specific changes in the team, Gallo maintained the game, opening 3-0 in the first half, conceding a goal, but without any fear, he added three points, finishing at the top of the group. G ahead of the big “final test” on Sunday against Cruzeiro.

With Milito suspended, Atletico appointed Lucas Gonçalves as coach. Zaracho and Lemos, who started last Saturday, were on the bench. Saravia played the third defender on the way out. Alisson has been selected to play wide on the right flank. The boy played for 90 minutes and performed well.

Facing a weak opponent, Gallo dominated the first half, controlling the game, maintaining nearly 80% possession and pushing Caracas into the defensive zone. It didn't take long for defender Bruno Fuchs to open the scoring (scoring the second goal of the week again).

The second goal came later from Arana. The full-back, who again had a lot of freedom to occupy the attacking pitch on the left side, appeared inside the box to shoot the ball. Arana also provided an assist for Gallo's third goal. Crossed into the area, and Paulinho sneaked alone to score.

Already 3-0 up, in the final stage, Atletico moved to keep some key players for the big decision on Sunday. Igor Gomez, Battaglia made way for Scarpa and Ottavio. Player No. 6 started the match poorly, with some misplaced passes. Gallo picked his foot up and let his production drop, struggling a bit from Caracas' high scoring.

The opponent's goal came from a zone ball. However, Minas Gerais continued to trouble them offensively. Hulk had a few chances in the match, tried to cover in the final phase and scored on the rebound, but it was offside. At the end of the match, Cado, Pedrinho and Vargas also entered without any highlights.

Gallo finished the match with 70% ball possession, 14 shots, 790 passes exchanged, and a passing accuracy of 92%. In the second match with Milito, Gallo gave another example of what the coach wants for the team: possession of the ball, suggestion of play and more attacking football. The tank still needs to be adjusted so that the intensity continues for the 90 minutes and not just in the first half, as we saw in these two matches.

On Sunday, the “final test”, deserves the first cup for Milito and the fifth championship for Atlético. Against Cruzeiro, in a field packed with rivals, Gallo needs a win to overcome Mineiro. In the tests conducted so far, he has shown that he has studied what the professor wants, and that he is able to maintain black and white dominance in Minas Gerais.