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Athletico Paranaense’s Copa Sudamericana victory makes them one of Brazil’s historic teams


Now there is no doubt about it. Brazil has 13 major clubs.

Athletico Paranaense must be included after winning the Copa Sudamericana, an equivalent of the Europa League, with a 1-0 win in Montevideo, Uruguay, on the Brazilians Red Bull Bragantino.

The traditional idea is that Brazil has twelve, distributed around major hubs – four teams from Rio and Sao Paulo, each from Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre. From the smaller southern city of Curitiba, Athletico Paranaense beat the team to its second international title in three years.

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They won the Sudamericana in 2018, but winning in 2021 could be a sweeter memory. In 2018, they were played more by Junior of Colombia, but still won the penalty shootout. This victory came in 90 minutes, the result of a brilliant goal, and the balance of play well deserved – which may not be good news for the neutrals.

Athletico and Bragantino is a story of similarities and differences, of well-run clubs from the provinces – Bragantino from the suburbs of Sao Paulo – with different competing models. With a 3-4-3 formation, Athletico prefers to defend deep and launch counterattacks.

Coach Alberto Valentim only arrived at Athletico in October, after the semi-final, but he has continued to maintain consistent form. Meanwhile, Bragantino was looking for something more active, with a high defense and a play based on holding the ball in the opponent’s half.

Their youth coach Mauricio Barbieri has adjusted to his usual side. The Argentinian left winger was moved onto the pitch, opening up space for the birth of left-footed winger Helinho, with midfielder Bruno Praxedes moving up closer to central striker Ytalo.

The idea was clear; Expand the field, attack the space behind Athletico’s full-backs, turn full-back 3 into full-back 5 and occupy space in front of the box. It never works. Praxedes lacked the pace to make an impression in the upper half, and the move from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 stripped the team of the natural triangle needed to bring in right-wing star Artur. Yard.

Athletico focused on taking down Bragantino, spending time waiting to attack. The decisive moment came just half an hour before, and involved the wingers who were crucial for the team. Bragantino couldn’t cut a ball that stretched wide to the left, where Uruguayan David Terans pulled in and fired from a tight angle. Goalkeeper Cleiton was ejected, and right winger Nikao, one of the mainstays of the team, scored with a stunning drag kick with a back kick that narrowly missed the post.

Bragantino returned after a period with deeper Praxedes, and as the team sat back to their usual 4-3-3, Artur started to appear. But the team is suffering a nasty afternoon in the late spring sun. They struggled to find rhythm, perhaps hampered by poor game experience and the nature of the second half, frequently interrupted by injuries and substitutions. Athletico goalkeeper Santos had a pretty comfortable game.

At 0-0, he had trouble with Cuello’s attempt to score straight from a corner – and when he pushed the ball away, Cuello narrowly missed the post with another shot. It was Bragantino’s closest ever game, and with Athletico deep in defence, the only dangerous moments came from more corners – with centre-back Leo Ortiz and substitute Leandriho heading wide off the post. narrowly vertical.

Finally, Bragantino even sent goalkeeper Cleiton to take the corners – to no avail, while Athletico counted down the clock and waited for the celebrations to begin. If the match hadn’t been without a great spectacle, it would certainly live long in the memory of Athletico fans, for the win and the amazing goal it achieved. It’s a pity that so few fans came to the stadium to see it.

There are pros and cons to the idea of ​​hosting a one-way final in a neutral venue. It’s undeniably more dramatic than home and away games, usually the quality of the game is better and there’s a marketing advantage. But the downside this time is especially obvious. Travel across South America is still recovering from the pandemic, driving up airfares to Uruguay – and hotels in Montevideo. In that context, setting the cheapest fare at $100 is extremely unwise – a small asset to the Brazilian public.

As a result, the famous old Centenario stadium was not even a third full, which was disappointing for a performance occasion. Athletico attracts more fans than Bragantino, but without anything quite like the massive followers Palmeiras and Flamengo, the Brazilian giants will contest the main event, the Copa Libertadores final next Saturday. .

After that, the stadium will likely be packed – but the hefty price tag of the experience will mean that the people at Centenario won’t be representative of the average supporter. This is a question that requires serious thought. If South America proceeds to neutral venus finals, then fares will inevitably be cheaper, and measures should be taken to negotiate less exorbitant prices for flights and hotels.

However, for the time being, Athletico Paranaense need not worry about this – and not just because they are busy celebrating. They have contrasting priorities ahead – a Brazilian Cup final second leg, while also looking to avoid being dragged into the relegation battle in the final few weeks of the season.

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