By Louis Smith in Asunción.
One of the most unpredictable, exciting, and thrilling tournaments in South America comes to a close this Saturday as Belo Horizonte’s Atlético Mineiro take on Argentina’s Lanús in a mouth-watering final between Brazil and Argentina at the Defensores del Chaco in the Paraguayan capital of Asunción.
Fans have been flying and driving in from all over, packing planes and buses en route to the showpiece. Fan parks are buzzing, beers are flowing, and celebrations are in full swing. If there’s one thing South Americans know how to do, it’s party.
The weather in Asunción this week has been scorching, hitting 34°C, but by kick-off at 5pm local time, it’s expected to cool slightly to 29°C.
Last year’s Copa Sudamericana final also took place in Paraguay at the Estadio General Pablo Rojas, the home of Cerro Porteño. That final also featured a Brazil-versus-Argentina clash, with Racing Club taking on Cruzeiro, where the Brazilian side put in a dominant display to secure a 3–1 victory.
Gastón Martirena and Adrián Martínez fired Racing Club into a 2–0 lead inside the first 20 minutes, putting them completely in control. In the second half, Kaio Jorge pulled one back, giving Cruzeiro hope, but Roger Martínez stepped up in the 95th minute and sealed the deal, clinching the trophy and giving Racing Club their first-ever Copa Sudamericana title.
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético Mineiro will be hoping to put last season’s Copa Libertadores final defeat to Botafogo behind them in this year’s Sudamericana final, their journey started with a 0–0 draw away to Cienciano of Peru in the group stage, eventually finishing second with nine points from six matches, which meant they had to go through the knockout playoff round, playing two extra games compared to their opponents in the final.
Their knockout round tie saw them take on Colombia’s Atlético Bucaramanga, where they scraped through with a 3–1 penalty shootout win.
Then came their first Argentine battle, beating Godoy Cruz 3–1 on aggregate, which set up a quarterfinal tie against Bolívar.
After a gritty 2–2 draw in the Bolivian altitude, they got the job done with a 1–0 win back home, thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Bernard.
Then came a tough semi-final against Independiente del Valle, a 1–1 draw in Ecuador, followed by a strong 3–1 victory on home soil, securing their place in the final.
Since qualifying for the final, Galo had gone six games unbeaten, winning four of them and drawing twice, but in recent weeks, you could clearly tell their eyes have been firmly fixed on the final.
First came a chaotic 3–3 draw with Fortaleza at home, and then in Bragança Paulista, they slipped to a 2–0 defeat against Red Bull Bragantino in what was honestly a very mixed performance. In the first half, Bragantino could easily have had two or three goals, but somehow it stayed 0–0 going into the break. Then, in the second half, it was actually Galo who came out brighter, some lively runs from Dudu, a couple of chances from Hulk including a free-kick he couldn’t quite get past the keeper, but despite being on the front foot, it was Bragantino who struck first from a set piece, a fantastic header from Lucas Barbosa after a pinpoint ball from Juninho Capixaba. Moments later, Gustavo Marques made it 2–0, and to make matters worse, Igor Gomes was shown a red card, leaving Atlético Mineiro beaten in Bragança Paulista.
However, they won’t be overly bothered by that result if things go their way on Saturday. It was a flat performance overall from Atlético, who in the warm-up focused heavily on moving the ball out to their wingers as quickly as possible, switching play from one side to the other to catch opponents out, and you’d imagine that will be a major part of their plan coming into this final.
Their standout performers in this year’s Sudamericana include Hulk, of course, who has four goals and two assists in 12 matches; former Everton man Bernard, who’s chipped in with three goals across 530 minutes; and Gustavo Scarpa, who has been crucial with five goal involvements in 12 games. Scarpa came off the bench in midweek, likely rested with this match in mind. And at the back, Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso will be desperate to taste success in his homeland.
Atlético Mineiro haven’t won the Copa Sudamericana before, but they did claim the Copa Libertadores in 2013 and the Copa Sudamericana in 2014. This will be their first Copa Sudamericana final, and they’re hoping to add a new trophy to their cabinet.
Since rejoining the club in September, Jorge Sampaoli has a record of seven wins, seven draws and five defeats from his 19 matches in charge.
Lanús
Former Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has enjoyed a solid first year in charge of Lanús, guiding them to the Copa Sudamericana final, while they also sit second in the Argentine domestic league Group B.
Their journey in the Copa Sudamericana began with a trip to Venezuela to face Academia Puerto Cabello, where they managed a 2-2 draw on the road. Lanús have already shown they can beat Brazilian opposition, having defeated Vasco da Gama 1-0 at home during the group stage, eventually topping their group with 12 points from six matches.
As mentioned, finishing top of the group sent them straight into the Round of 16, where they faced Argentina’s Central Córdoba. After a 1-0 defeat away, they responded with a 1-0 victory at home, eventually winning 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Next, they took on the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners, Fluminense. A 1-0 home victory followed by a 1-1 draw on the road was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final, they faced Universidad de Chile. Lanús raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg thanks to a brace from Castillo, only for Universidad de Chile to fight back with two second-half goals, leaving the tie firmly balanced. Back on home soil, Lanús seized the advantage once again, with Castillo striking the decisive goal to secure a 1-0 victory and a spot in the final.
The Argentine side do have history in this competition, enjoying success back in 2013, when the final was played over two legs. They faced Brazil’s Ponte Preta and came out on top with a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Lanús have several players who have featured every single minute of the competition so far: Goalkeeper Nahuel Losada, defender Carlos Izquierdoz, and left-back Sasha Marcich.
Key performers in the tournament include Rodrigo Castilho, who has scored three times in six matches, all of them coming in the semi-final.
Since joining the club from Gimnasia de Plata in July, he has been a welcome boost to the side in all competitions and will be hoping to make his mark in the final.
Dylan Aquino has also had a solid tournament from midfield, scoring three goals and providing one assist in just 292 minutes of football. Meanwhile, Marcelino Moreno has been pivotal, contributing three goals and three assists to keep Lanús firing.
Since qualifying for the final, Lanús have only played three times, far fewer than their Brazilian counterparts in this period; they have recorded one win, one draw, and one defeat. Their most recent outing came on 14th November, when they secured a 3-1 victory over Atlético Tucumán.
Having had plenty of time to prepare and rest for this fixture, unlike their opponents, they’ll be hoping to turn that advantage to their favour, especially in the sweltering Asunción heat.
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