This is how Tolima played against Atlético Mineiro in their debut in the 2022 Copa Libertadores

Last night, Deportes Tolima premiered in this new edition of the Copa Libertadores, it did so as a local and against a strong team like Atlético Mineiro. The challenge was to keep the arc in zeros, but it was not achieved. The team did not specify, beyond the fact that they had several options to score, and their game was diminished by the good performance of the Brazilians. Two goals against made their dream debut impossible and now they will have to rectify the path against the other two teams that make up group D: América de Mineiro and Independiente del Valle.

Yesterday's defeat was a confirmation of the bad time that Colombian football is experiencing internationally. Beyond the fact that there are names that stand out on the outside, the reality is that from the inside things are bad. Those led by Hernán Torres were at a very low level, although at times they managed to invade the opposite area and generate some damage. There was no connection, much less inspiration, and the saying makes sense in this meeting: whoever does not do them, sees them doing.

Tolima had an acceptable performance during the first minutes, seeking to generate rapid transitions between defense and attack, they came close to scoring, in the 35 minutes, but incredibly, Michael Rangel missed the option. A mistake that causes belly pain. Then came the demonstration of the power of the Brazilians. A total machine. They opened the scoring in the last minutes of the first half with what was their only finish in 45 minutes. The Tolimans were cold after Rangel's wrong choice and it would be hard for them to react.

Loose defense and poorly coordinated high pressure. The Brazilians' first goal was the work of Savarino, who connected with Nacho Fernández to infiltrate the space between the two Tolima defenders and simply managed to score. A serious distraction from the pijaos who wanted to counterattack, left their lines very uncovered. In the second half, the marks were completely lost and that was how Diego Godín assisted Tché Tché to score the final goal, with an inner edge, without the pressure of any opponent.

Hernán Torres remained firm in the idea of counterstriking and the team was tied up, as Atlético Mineiro managed to anticipate their intentions and counteract the strategy. The DT was stubborn in not wanting to look for a change in the game model, knowing that they were losing. The Tolimans were carried away by despair and ended up playing nothing. With the victory of the Brazilians, the team led by Antonio Mohamed became the first team from that country to score Tolima for Copa Libertadores at the Manuel Murillo Toro Stadium. Six Brazilian teams set foot on Tolima and none managed to score: Gremio (2007), Corinthians (2011), Cruzeiro (2011), Atlético Paranaense (2019) and Internacional (2020).

It is the first game that Deportes Tolima has lost at home, for Copa Libertadores, after five games without doing so, added two wins and three draws. The last rival to beat them in Ibagué was Independiente Santa Fe, for the continental tournament, in a match that ended 1 - 2 in favor of the Bogotans. It was April 9, 2013. After this match, the team will host Aguilas Doradas in their hometown, for the local tournament, and next week they will travel to Ecuador to face Independiente del Valle, who debuted with victory against América Mineiro, in Brazil.

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