Atlético-MG turns on Cruzeiro and conquers Mineiro

Atlético-MG beat Cruzeiro 3-1 this Sunday afternoon (7) and shut out Mineirão with just Cruzeiro fans to win Mineiro’s fifth consecutive championship.

Mateus Vital scored for Cruzeiro, Saravia equalized, Hulk turned around and Scarpa secured the title for Atlético-MG. The turning goal came from a penalty scored with the help of VAR, which caught Lucas Silva’s hand on Igor Gomes’ cross.

Galo overcame adversity to win another Minas Gerais title, the 49th in its history. Cruzeiro had the advantage of playing for two draws and also played in the second match with only Cruzeiro fans in Mineirão.

Rooster shuts up Mineirão and wins penta

Galo did not have any advantage in the Mineiro final, but showed why they have dominated the state since 2020 and won their fifth consecutive championship, extending their rival’s streak. Atlético still went behind on Vital’s goal at the beginning of the second half, but found the strength to come back.

Gabriel Milito’s team found a well-positioned opponent and had a hard time finding space. Even Hulk and Paulinho’s escapes in the first stage ended with rare mistakes from the pair.

The coaches’ changes were fundamental to the result of the match. Lacarmón removed goal scorer Mateus Vital to put in a defender when Cruzeiro made it 1-0 and saw Galo equalize three minutes later with a great ball from Otávio for a surprising infiltration by Saravia and an impeccable header.

Milito went even higher. Boldly, he removed a defender and two midfielders to place three offensive men: Igor Gomes, Scarpa and Vargas. Galo managed to turn it around with a penalty precisely on Igor Gomes’ cross, in which the ball touches Lucas Silva’s hand; Hulk charged hard and converted.

The title was only consolidated in second-half stoppage time with a great goal from Scarpa, who dribbled past Rafael Cabral to score the third.