millionaires He was eliminated in the third phase of the Libertadores Cup, losing 3-1 to Atlético Mineiroand after the 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Millonarios played a game completely changing its philosophy, which is based on two pillars: handling the ball and playing on the wings, with sharp and fast players. Alberto Gamero He had to bet on another formula, to try, first, that they did not score goals.
(James Rodríguez, alert: complex situation that Daniela Ospina lives with her daughter)
(See the goals that left Millonarios out of the Copa Libertadores)
The system
In principle, the blues played with four defenders, with Jorge Arias, theoretically, as a left back due to the injury to Omar Bertel; three midfielders, Silva and Cataño as hooks and a single striker, Leonardo Castro.
But in practice, when Millos did not have the ball, which was a long time, there were five defenders: or Larry Vásquez went in through the center or Mackalister Silva went back to play on the wing. You have to dig into the statistical programs to find a first half with less possession of Millonarios than this Wednesday: just 29 percent.
Atlético Mineiro had the ball almost all the time, but danger options, in reality, only had one, ending the first stage, a shot from outside Edenilson that went over the side of the pole.
Millos, with much less time with the ball, had two claritas: one, in a recovery near Mineiro’s area, with a shot from Silva that failed to connect well, and another, in a long pass so that Pereira fell into position forward. He put the tip of the guayo into the ball and handed it to the goalkeeper.
Gamero took a risk for the second half: with the same game idea as in the first, he wanted to speed up the attack with jader valencia and for that he took out Pereira, from a terrible first half: apart from the goal that he missed, they forgave him the red card for an elbow and then he committed a penalty that the judge Fernando Rapallini and the VAR did not consider.
Passivity
Very early, Millonarios had an oversight and Mineiro charged him very strongly, first, with the passivity of Larry Vasquez, by allowing a Hulk snap, and then, an oversight by Vanegas, which allowed Paulinho to sting and finish off with a header, after four minutes.
Millionaires tried, at least on paper. But he did not have a goal option in the second half. Rather, every time Atlético Mineiro pressed a little, the danger was in the goal of Alvaro Montero.
The second goal was very similar to the first, with the same elements: blue passivity and albinegra precision, with another header from Paulinho, after a cross from Patrick, to score 2-0.
The first half became a mirage. Millonarios did not grab it again and Mineiro turned the victory into a beating with a great goal from Hulk’s Chilean kick, in the 88th minute, when Paulinho went from scoring to assisting.
Mackalister Silva recovered a ball on the edge of the area, in stoppage time, and left fernando uribe ready to discount and make up a little for the defeat of a team that changed their style, but that still didn’t help them at all. You will have to go to South America.
(Video: Medellín wins with great goals from Luciano Pons in the Copa Libertadores)
(Medellín wins and qualifies for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores)
Jose Orlando Ascension
sports deputy editor
@josasc
