Atlético Mineiro are through to the Copa Sudamericana final after surviving a 3-2 aggregate scare against Montevideo City Torque, even though they lost 2-0 at the Centenario on Wednesday. The result completed a tie that had looked settled after the first leg in Belo Horizonte, where Atlético Mineiro won 3-0, but it still underlined how hard it has become for them to turn strong positions into clean, comfortable progress.
For Montevideo City Torque, this was the end of the best international participation in the club’s history. For Atlético Mineiro, it was another step in a run that now carries as much about endurance as quality, with the club trying to push past a pattern of recent final disappointments and title near-misses.
Atlético Mineiro had enough, but not enough comfort
The first leg should have given Atlético Mineiro a decisive cushion. Instead, Wednesday’s return match demanded a degree of discipline that their overall tie had not quite suggested was necessary. Montevideo City Torque did what they had to do, winning 2-0 and forcing Atlético Mineiro to feel the pressure right to the end.
That is the key point here. The aggregate score was enough to send Atlético Mineiro through, but the performance in Montevideo left the feeling that this was a team still living with the weight of recent setbacks. A year earlier, they lost at the same stage to Lanús. In 2024, they also lost the Libertadores final to Botafogo. So while this latest result keeps the season alive, it does not erase the broader challenge in front of them.
Médez’s words reflect the scale of the challenge
Montevideo City Torque head coach Marcelo Méndez summed up the difficulty after elimination, saying: “No se dio por poco ante un rival con un presupuesto treinta veces mayor.”
That is a telling line because it captures both the narrowness of the tie and the size of the task Torque were facing. They did not go out without a fight, and they did not go out without a statement. But Atlético Mineiro’s resources and experience ultimately carried them over the line, even if only just on aggregate.
The broader picture is important too. Atlético Mineiro have reached another continental final, but they arrive there with a history of near misses that still hangs over them. The final will be another test of whether this squad can convert progress into something more lasting. For Montevideo City Torque, though, the campaign is already a landmark. For Atlético Mineiro, it is simply not over yet.
