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The tension grows, the anxiety multiplies and South American football is already awaiting the event next Wednesday, in Belo Horizonte, for the first leg of the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. The two protagonists cannot escape their objectives. So, Atlético Mineiro sent good signals after the 1-1 draw against Vasco Da Gama, which allowed them to qualify for the final of the Brazil Cup. While Riverafter the equality with Vélez, in the Monumental, is still looking for solutions for a team that still shows an erratic walk.
The team led by Gabriel Milito made it clear that it is not going to give up any competition and it was clear from the decision of the Argentine coach, who decided to include most of his starters in the duel with Vasco. What’s more: for this second leg, Mineiro arrived with a certain calm after Mineiro’s 2-1 victory in the first leg. Milito’s determination was a complete surprise a few days before the big clash with River, so much so that one of the most outstanding footballers of the Brazilian team, Guilherme Aranawho had been injured at the beginning of the month, completed the 90 minutes.
Although not everything went perfectly for Mineiro, because Hulkwho scored a great goal that meant equality and qualification for the final of the Brazilian Cup – a rival between Flamengo and Corinthians, Racing’s rival, awaits -, left with muscle discomfort two minutes from the end, which implied the first modification of Milito throughout the game.
The alarms went off in Belo Horizonte and now they will focus on the evolution of Hulk, since there are only three days left until the crossing with River. But it would not be the only loss of Milito’s team, since the left back, Rubens y Witchcraftother key pieces in the attack of the Brazilian team, would also be out of the match against Marcelo Gallardo’s team.
Beyond the difficulties, Milito’s message is very clear when talking about his team’s ambitions: “When I accepted the challenge I was convinced of the players I would coach. This gave me a lot of encouragement to make the decision to accept the invitation. So when I met with the team, we decided to dream of playing in the finals and winning them. But let’s go game by game”Milito said.
And he continued with the next duel against River: “We have a great goal, which is the Libertadores, which is a dream for us. We are a very strong team, but we have an opponent that also has a lot of quality. We need to be better in the 180 minutes”.
The Argentine coach also appreciated how his players completely surrendered to the demands of assuming all commitments with the same responsibility and explained: “All the players are making a great effort, from the physical and mental aspects. This will remain the case until the end of the season. So, we have to continue being competitive, which I believe we will be.”.
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