Mineiro crushes Baranense and grabs the double crown in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, December 12 (EFE). – Atlético Mineiro, after winning the Brazilian championship in November, beat Atlético Paranense 4-0 on Sunday in the first leg of the Copa del Rey final, practically ensuring a double crown. What was the best season in its history?

Thanks to a double from Chilean Eduardo Vargas and goals from Hulk and Keno, Belo Horizonte win the Brazilian Cup, even losing 3-0 in their visit to Paranines in Curitiba next Wednesday.

Curitiba, who won the Copa Sudamericana in November, will need to win on Wednesday by four goals at home to decide on penalties or by five goals to win the title.

Before the 50,000 fans who came to the Mineiro stadium in Belo Horizonte, who cheered the team with the shouts of the two-time champion (Mineiro won the Copa do Brasil once, in 2014), the team led by coach Alexi Stefal “Koka” dominated the match from start to finish and was superior to their opponent.

Hulk, the team’s top scorer and named Brazilian League Player of the Year at the age of 35, opened the scoring with his first penalty kick and Keno added the difference when Paranaense attempted his only reaction.

Vargas, who came on as a substitute for injured Spanish Brazilian striker Diego Costa, scored the final numbers by scoring goals in the 10th and 24th minutes of the second half.

This Sunday’s win was the biggest in the Brazil Cup final in the history of the country’s second most important national tournament.

Belo Horizonte finished the year with the two most important titles in Brazil, in addition to being the champions of the state of Minas Gerais and reaching the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

Mineiro, whose eventual winner Palmeiras prevented them from reaching the final of the continental championship, finished Libertadores undefeated, was the best club in the group stage and had a crushing season that eliminated Argentine Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Mineiro is the favorite to win the Copa del Rey, not only because of the huge advantage they got in the first leg but also because of their status as the champion of Brazil and because of the great moment they are in.

The same is for the presence of a millionaire led by Hulk, who was elected in the year he returned to Brazil after 16 seasons abroad, the best player in the Brazilian championship, of which he was also top scorer, which may also be the top scorer of the Brasil Cup, where he dominates the standings with seven goals.

Other members of the Mineiro squad include Diego Costa (formerly Atletico Madrid), Venezuelan Jefferson Savarino, Argentina’s Matias Zarrach and Nacho Fernandez, and Olympic winger Guilherme Arana. EFE

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