12/06/2021 at 08:48 CET
This was confirmed by the technician Diego Cocca: the determination and the heart of Atlas were the keys to achieving the pass to the final of the tournament Opening 2021 of Mexican soccer.
The red and black, despite lose to Pumas UNAM 0-1, they were classified by their best position in the table during the regular phase (2nd), after the final level of the tie to one goal (1-1).
The locals were clearly superior to the cats throughout the first half, but their shots failed to see the door. Already in ’75, from outside the area, Efrain Valverde surprised with a dry shot that he rejected Camilo Vargas, although his ball was very soft in front of his area. To the rebound came Dienno, who only had to push her to equalize the series, although Pumas lacked another goal to pass.
In the end, many nerves to the surface and the tension palpated how ephemeral the classification could be, and it came with the uncertainty of VAR. In the final stretch, the referee Jorge Antonio Pérez Durán went to the VAR for a possible lack of Anderson Santamaria upon Juan Dienno with the forearm, but after the review on the monitor decided not to penalize the foul.
After nine minutes of addition, at the same Dienno a recklessness was added to him that ended up expelling him. In a Chilean attempt, he missed and hit the face of Jesus Angulo, which knocked him out. Light red and extensive medical care for the defense of the Atlas that only raised the level of nerves.
Thus, the foxes manage to reach the last step to achieve the trophy 22 years later having done it for the last time. On this occasion, they will try to make up for the tough penalty defeat against Toluca, to try to bring a title to the showcases of Guadalajara, after almost 70 years without being able to renew them.
“It suffered, but the team never lost its personality, it did not lose its identity, there were many goal situations but football has those things,” Cocca commented at a press conference. “I experienced wonderful things at the club, it was a winning club, a club that finished super-leader and played a semi-final, which filled stadiums and that was what I wanted to contribute from my place and today was a dream night. I am happy and proud & rdquor ;.
A game, on the other hand, in which everything was not good news. Julian Quinones he withdrew from the field with a sore ankle, and could be out for the final series.
Pumas, for his part, is once again at the gates of the title, repeating the history of last season.
Atlas will play the Apertura final against León next week, after the Greens eliminated Tigres this Saturday. In the final series, the ‘foxes’ will be local in the second leg to be played next Sunday, and on Thursday they will visit the León Stadium.