Atlético Nacional advanced to the quarterfinals of the Colombia Cup for the fifth time in a row, after winning 4-5 on penalties over Águilas Doradas. The purslane team has overcome this stage since 2016 and will seek to win its third Cup in five years. At the end of the game, the coach in charge Alejandro Restrepo highlighted the team’s work to achieve a tie in regulation time and make a difference in the penalty shootout.
“It is said a lot that penalties are luck, but I think there were players with character who assumed the responsibility of collecting and with a great performance from Aldair (Quintana) due to his ability, the way he trains, for the energy he has, football He gave him an award that allows us to advance to the next phase, ”said Restrepo.
The Antioquia coach praised the work of his managers, who increased their performance after the departure of Juan Carlos Osorio and the elimination of the South American Cup. “The merit and the value is of the players. In such a short time we had to work, with so many trips, we have dedicated ourselves to making some adjustments, so that they recover well and we were also able to encourage that rebellion on the pitch, thanks to them, it is the good moment we are living ” .
Restrepo did not forget the youth, who have contributed to the defensive order. “I highlight the work of young people like Yerson (Mosquera), Jímer (Fory), Brayan (Córdoba). It is a prize for the effort of the formative soccer of Nacional. At times it was difficult for us to adapt to the game in the first half. Águilas plays a very fast game and as the minutes went by, the team played better in both phases ”.
Finally, Alejandro expressed that “this is a well-prepared team, in this match 16 players played, many of them at a good level. We must evaluate the discomfort, have a good rest, a good recovery and think about the next game against America. It was a game to win, because of the format of this Cup, we planned it like this, regardless of who started the game, we had a good replacement and we improved as the minutes passed. Then we located the players and made small partnerships that helped us to generate danger in the opposite goal ”.
For his part, Aldair Quintana appears on penalties by stopping three charges, he commented that “it is important to have good collectors, as a goalkeeper they provide that security to tackle. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to make a difference. It is important to correct by winning, we have the peace of mind that next year we will be in the final stages of the Cup and with the important mental impulse to face América de Cali ”.
Regarding the preparation of the charges, the Tolima goalkeeper explained that “when the game ended, I spoke with José (Cuadrado) with ‘Prono’ (Edigson Velásquez), they gave me their opinion, they told me how they charged and the rest was intuition for each collection ”.
Juan Camilo Alvarez Serrano
FUTBOLRED correspondent
Medellin
En twitter: @juanchoserran8
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