Hugo Nervo, one of Argentina’s soccer players playing for Atlas, lifted the champion trophy. Photo by AP/Eduardo Verdugo
The Atlas, a team led by Argentine Diego Cocca and in which his compatriots Julio Furch, Hugo Nervo, Víctor Aguilera and Franco Troyanski performed, this Sunday. third two -time Mexican soccer championafter winning the final of the Clausura 2022 tournament against Pachuca, with a 3-2 aggregate, despite losing 2-1 in the rematch, played at Hidalgo stadium.
Furch, from Pampas, former striker for Olimpo de Bahía Blanca, San Lorenzo, Arsenal and Belgrano de Córdoba, scored, from a penalty, the goal that made it possible for the Guadalajara team to be holy, also won the title of Champion of Champions.
A 2-0 win in the first leg was enough for Atlas, who had tonight Furch, Nervo and Aguilera as introductionsand Troyanski in return, reached the third league title in its history, after breaking a 70-year drought in December without a trophy from local competition.
Los Rojinegros joined Pumas UNAM, which won it in both tournaments in 2004, and León, the sole champion of the 2013-2014 season, as the only two-time champion in short tournaments in Mexico established in 1996.
Furch scored an important goal for Atlas in Pachuca and then celebrated. Photo EFE / David Martínez Pelcastre
Pachucawith the Oscar Ustari, Gustavo Cabral and Nicolás Ibáñez in their first practicewasted no time and after being pressured by Atlas he got his first goal in minute 8. Ecuadorian Romario Ibarra, from the left wing, tricked the two defenders and entered the area to define 1- 0 before the release of Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
The two -time champion replied three minutes later. With a step generated from a free kick, Nervo was able, after a rebound, to shoot into goal, but his compatriot Gustavo Cabral avoided a draw at the line.
The intensity of the match dropped to 43, Daniel Aceves made a handball that awarded a penalty to Rojinegros. Furch effectively executed the foul and made it 1-1.
Despite allowing the equalizer, Pachuca regained the lead in the final moments of first-half stoppage time when Víctor Guzmán, from left, at the age of 54, put a serve into the far post and Venadense Ibáñez appeared to make it 2-1 with a header and keep alive the hope of return for the Tuzo.
The double monarch withdrew in the second half and dedicated themselves to doing what they knew, defending themselves, while Pachuca failed to score again, despite playing the final ten minutes with another man for sa expulsion of Ecuadorian Aníbal Chalá.
Colombian Avilés Hurtado tried to convert the target forcing extra time in the 50th minute, however Vargas stopped his shot, while in the 54th minute, Erick Sánchez crossed for a shot. taken by defender Javier Abella near the goal line.
Diego Cocca: “Crazy”
The former Defense and Justice and Career coach, among other Argentine teams, qualifies as “Insanity” to designate Atlas as a two -time champion of Mexican soccer, and thus earned the title of Champion of Champions, having less than two years in management.
“Three titles in a year and a half is crazy,” he said after the second leg of the final played at the Hidalgo stadium. “I think we’ll be aware over time, but we’re so happy and proud.”
The Buenos Aires coach added: “We suffered a lot to get here, but I saved the will of the team not to give up on anything. The team has enormous physical needs, but we got here.”
“We’ll have that awareness over time,” Cocca said. EFE/David Martinez Pelcastre
Furch was also a key man in winning two championships. He scored the final charge in the penalty shootout of the final of the Apertura 2021 tournament against León and in this final of the Clausura 2022 against Pachuca he scored the goal to judge the overall victory 3-2, on the same route.
“I wouldn’t know which of the two titles we enjoyed the most, the two the same, or the three because we got the Champion of Champions,” Furch commented.
The so-called ‘Emperor of Goal’ is considered that he and his teammates have not yet measured the value of these titles for a club founded in 1916 and they only became league champions in 1950. -51 season.
“It was something we dreamed of that we never imagined. Tomorrow we will know what we have achieved, ”Furch concluded.
With information from EFE and AFP.
Source: Clarin
