Tomás Cuello rescues Atlético Mineiro with stoppage-time goal against RB Bragantino in Copa Sudamericana round of 16

Atlético Mineiro salvaged a dramatic 2-2 draw against RB Bragantino at the Arena MRV in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. The visiting Brazilian side had arrived with the advantage of a 1-0 win in the first leg at home, and tonight they struck twice more, but the hosts managed to level the score in the dying seconds of stoppage time thanks to a goal from Tomás Cuello in the 92nd minute.

A match that slipped away from Bragantino in stoppage time

The first half belonged clearly to Bragantino, who created the clearest chances through Isidro Pitta, Lucas Barbosa and Rodriguinho, all forcing saves from the home goalkeeper. The reward came just before the break, or rather right at the start of the second half in what the broadcast initially logged with a brief delay: in the 52nd minute, Eric Ramires finished with his right foot from the center of the box after an assist from Lucas Barbosa on a counterattack, making it 0-1.

Atlético Mineiro's response came almost immediately. Just a minute after play resumed, Maycon popped up from outside the box to curl a left-footed shot just inside the post from a corner kick, leveling it at 1-1 and reigniting hope for the home crowd.

The match appeared to be heading toward qualification for Bragantino when, in the 80th minute, Eduardo Sasha headed home from close range, again assisted by Lucas Barbosa from a corner, making it 1-2 after the goal was confirmed by VAR review. With the aggregate score clearly tilting in Bragantino's favor, Atlético Mineiro threw everyone forward in search of a desperate response. That response arrived in the 92nd minute: Tomás Cuello, who had been involved in several dangerous plays throughout the night, finished with his right foot from outside the box on a counterattack to seal the final 2-2.

The numbers behind the visitors' dominance

The statistics make clear that Bragantino was the sharper team over the 90 minutes, even if it wasn't enough to secure the win.

Our own post-match expected goals estimate, calculated from shot locations, also backs up that superiority: Bragantino generated 1.799 xG compared to Atlético Mineiro's 1.039, a gap explained by the visitors' nine shots on target against the hosts' four.

What was expected and what happened

Beforehand, our model had projected a tight contest, giving Atlético Mineiro a 41% chance of winning, a 30% chance of a draw, and 29% for Bragantino, along with a combined expected-goals total of 2.55 (1.40 for the hosts and 1.15 for the visitors). The way the match unfolded confirmed that forecast of a close, goal-filled contest, though the plot proved more dramatic than expected: Bragantino moved ahead on aggregate thanks to their first-leg advantage and their two goals in the return leg, but Cuello's stoppage-time goal kept the final score from fully reflecting that gap on the field.

What the result leaves behind

Atlético Mineiro had gone into this match after falling 1-0 away in the first leg, while Bragantino arrived carrying the edge from that home win. Tonight's 2-2 draw, added to that history, leaves a round of 16 that was decided across both legs, with Tomás Cuello's last-minute goal standing out as the play that kept the outcome from being even more painful for the home side. Maycon, who scored Atlético Mineiro's first goal, and Lucas Barbosa, who provided two assists for Bragantino, were the standout names on a night decided in the closing minutes of each half.