Galo draws with Grêmio at Arena MRV and bows out of the Copa do Brasil

The Copa do Brasil dream is over for Atlético fans. On Saturday (7), Atlético drew 1-1 with Grêmio at Arena MRV in the second leg of the semifinal. Having lost the first leg 2-0 in Porto Alegre, Eduardo Domínguez's side went out on an aggregate score of 3-1.

Galo even gave the Massa hope. At the 25th minute of the first half, Renan Lodi found the net after a pass from Bernard. The joy was short-lived: still in the first half, Carlos Vinícius was left free in the box, rose to a second ball and headed home to equalize. Goalkeeper Everson spoke of a collective error on the play.

The stands did their part: 42.922 fans attended the stadium, with gate receipts of R$ 5.457.622,94. On the pitch, the finishing was missing. Left-back Natanael recalled that Grêmio had three chances across the two matches and scored from all three. Domínguez echoed the point, saying the team was missing "a few millimeters" to finish the chances it created.

The coach also explained why Fred and Cassierra did not stay on the pitch longer. According to him, the two had been out for almost a month and had only one normal training session before the match, and Fred is still managing a muscle injury. Fred came on in the second half, played 33 minutes and, as he left the field, insisted: "I'm fine." Defender Lyanco was not even included in the squad: director Paulo Bracks said the player is dealing with a personal issue.

Now, attention turns to the final stretch of the season. The next match is against Mirassol on November 14 at 18h30, at Estádio José Maria de Campos Maia, in the Brasileirão. The major objective left is set for November 21: the Copa Sul-Americana final against Boca Juniors, a single match in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Sources: Clube Atlético Mineiro: Atlético draw with Grêmio at Arena MRV · Clube Atlético Mineiro: match schedule. Source: Itasat