Hulk’s Sacrifice Leads to Atlético-MG Victory in Libertadores

– I played with a bit of internal fever, but thank God I managed to help my teammates. These are things we can overcome, right? But the important thing is to be able to leave here with the objective fulfilled, with the victory. We knew it would be very difficult, but it’s also part of dealing with the pressure – said the striker in a press conference.

In addition to the goal, Hulk had an important participation in the triumph. Due to his firm performance in the tactical part, he pulled the ball, sometimes with more than one opponent on his tail, and allowed Paulinho to have more freedom of movement. With that, he was the target of rotation of fouls and received hard arrivals from opponents.

– We know that Libertadores game is war. You have to have a lot of concentration, because we know what it did to us. We lost the first two rounds of the group stage, and starting with two defeats is very difficult. This is costing us dearly. So the pressure is greater, the delivery is greater – he said.

Another achievement tonight for the number 7 was reaching the mark of 90 victories for the athletic club. And, along with the mark, came the three points. The result away from home makes Galo breathe easy in Group G, as it has qualification for the round of 16 of Libertadores on the way.

In the last round, Galo only needs to avoid a defeat against Libertad to guarantee the classification. If Athletico-PR does not beat Alianza Lima, the team from Minas Gerais may even be in first place if they win in Paraguay.

Last round games

Libertad (PAR) x Atlético-MG, in Luque (Paraguay) – June 27 (Tuesday), at 7 pm (Brasília time)

Athletico-PR x Alianza Lima (PER), in Curitiba – June 27 (Tuesday), at 7 pm (Brasília time)