With a goal from Nikão, Athletico Paranaense defeated Red Bull Bragantino 1-0 in Montevideo on Saturday and became champion of the Copa Sudamericana in Montevideo.
The victory by the minimum was adjusted to a match without too many highlights, but decisive for the Curitiba team, which dressed the Centennial in red and black.
“Maybe today was not a day where we attacked much, but we scored the goal,” said Thiago Heleno, captain, and born leader of the team, who was crowned for the second time in the tournament, after achieving it in 2018. “We neutralized Bragantino, a strong team “… it was a special day everyone was fine”.
At 29 minutes, Nikão, who fought throughout the game and won the ovations of his fans, executed a scissors near the small area, after a rebound from goalkeeper Cleiton. The Paranaense striker, with six goals in the tournament, put Furacão ahead and blew up the Centenario.
“It’s the happiest day of my life,” said Alberto Valentim, the Paranaense coach, who was also a club player in the 1990s. “It was a dream to come back as a coach.”
Valentim had only taken the reins of the club on October 1, just after the team advanced to the final. The red and black team had no defined coach since September 9, after the dismissal of Portuguese Antonio Oliveira.
“The players reached the end of the Sudamericana. It was just a continuity, ”said the strategist.
The first minutes ran without much pressure. The game was in the field of the Paranaense who defended with five players. After 10 minutes, Furacão abandoned the retreat and began to gradually unfold his game, stopped later, without endangering the rival goal.
The locked game included a good dose of aerial balls. At 19 minutes Cuello, the Bragantino midfielder, fired a corner kick that the goalkeeper had to take near the corner, the shot rebounded and again Cuello, from outside the area, shook the red and black tribune.
The Paranaense was not intimidated and the Uruguayan David Terans, who did not stop throughout the game to distribute the ball and have a leading role. He fired close to the crescent putting Cleiton in trouble who rebounded that again.
Terans kicked again without hitting his target, sending the ball close to the post. At 40, Red Bull Bragantino, with the foot of Helinho, had a couple of opportunities on Santos’ goal that did not pass to greater.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were back and forth although the Bragantino, led by Mauricio Barbieri, had less generation of danger.
Nikão, distinguished as the best player in the competition, stole a ball, dodged marks and slipped through the right sector to border the area but without major consequences.
At 65 minutes Artur, with a good game, had a nice opportunity in the area but wasted it. The rest of the second half, Bragantino tried, but without being aggressive enough to disturb Santos’ goal due to the good strikes from the defense.
Furacão sought to consolidate the result without risking anything, something that Bragantino tried to take advantage of by controlling the ball and throwing his forces on the attack. At 86 Léo Ortiz had a chance to head after a corner kick, which momentarily excited the Bragança side.
“The defensive in these decisive and unique games is very important. The players moved very well in defense, when we had opportunities, it is a hot climate, very different from the one we have in Curitiba and other cities, we played a perfect game, we are champions ”, said Valentim.
The second half saw the attackers Terans, Renato Kayser and Argentine defender Nicolás Hernández leave. Luan Cândido, Alerrando, Leandrinho, Gabriel Novaes and Jan Hurtado entered the Bragantino who tried to oxygenate the team. But the momentum was not enough.
At 90 minutes the song of the Brazilians was worthy of champions. They did not stop encouraging or shaking their colors singing a thunderous: “Athtlee .. tico … ooo … ooo … ooo … ooo”.
The referee’s whistle left several from Bragantino on the floor. Others looked down at the floor and some were left with a gesture of resignation and arms akimbo.
The defeat “is a great learning,” said Bragantino coach Mauricio Barbieri. “With this attitude we are going to have many finals ahead of us and we are going to be better and better … The tears we see in the eyes of our teammates show character” and “important virtues”, he remarked.
Perhaps, but for now, Bragantino’s attempt to win his first international title has faded. Supported by Austrian energy drink giant Red Bull, the team has taken off, earning their promotion to Brasileirão after a 22-year absence.
Barbieri was hurt, but also confident in his group and in the immediate future. He remarked that it had “young players with little international experience”, but stressed that it is “a spectacular group of players”, and that the advances in the South American and at the local level are “much more to their credit than mine.”
The other side of that sadness was the explosion of the stands, the greeting to the team of their loves and the dance of the Paranaense players to the sound of some sambas that invaded the stadium. Athletico Parananse, won like three years ago, but this time they were crowned at the remodeled Centenario stadium in Montevideo, from where they will take the cup to their city, Curitiba.
The title of “2018 was the opportunity to win the first title, it was a very happy moment,” commented Heleno, who added that with this new crowning “we have shown.”
“The secret has been a lot of work, humility and not being afraid to face any team. The most important thing is that the players understand what the club wants, which brings methods for us to look for ”.
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