Libertadores 2024: An underestimated final between Botafogo and Atletico Mineiro
It happened on a saturday, november 30th, 2024. The storyline of the final between Botafogo and Atletico Mineiro was epic. Contrary to what many people thought, it wasn’t a weak game. The final demanded a lot of struggle and let the fans emotional.
Stay tuned to Botafogo News and read the article.
Botafogo, known as ‘Glorioso’, has a better team, with Luiz Henrique, Thiago Almada, Savarino and Igor Jesus. The coach Artur Jorge built a collective team. Any player could decide the match, who was destined for greatness?
The stadium Monumental Nunez gave an electrifying game. Around 70 thousand people watch closely. Buenos Aires was taken over by the Brazilian fans.
All started with Gregore receiving a red card. The clock wasn’t even showing 1 minute. Reckless, the player let Botafogo in a bad situation. The normal reaction is to call him dumb. But wait. Actually, the expulsion didn´t cause damage. The Atletico Mineiro of Gabriel Milito tried to search for the game, however, was not effective.
It’s time for Botafogo
Photo: Ettore Chiereguini/AGIF
Botafogo don´t lose the sense of what the final meant, unlike Atletico. In competitive terms, Artur Jorge proved to be much superior to Gabriel Milito. The trophy of Libertadores fell into Botafogo arms. Luiz Henrique and Alex Telles scored, everything in the first half.
Eduardo Vargas put Atletico back in the game with a goal at the start of the second half. From that moment, the final became a massive test for the heart.
Since 2019, when Flamengo won River Plate, the Conmebol Libertadores don´t had such an interesting final.
On one side, Atletico was looking for a heroic draw. While Botafogo took a deep breath and pursued the counter attack.
To make everything even more dramatic, the goal that defined the title came in the extra time. Junior Santos made history happen. He took off his shirt and went crazy with the goal. With this, Botafogo won Atlético Mineiro by 3-1 and became champions of America for the first time.
Photo: Marcelo Endelli
