Galo Hold On as Cuello's Late Equalizer Sends Atlético Mineiro Through 3-2 on Aggregate

On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Atlético Mineiro — known across Brazil as the Galo — drew 2-2 with Red Bull Bragantino at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte in the Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 second leg. Tomás Cuello scored a stoppage-time equalizer that sealed a 3-2 aggregate win and sent the 2025 Sudamericana runners-up into the quarterfinals, even as Bragantino twice led on the night and pushed the tie toward penalties.

The Galo had carried a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Bragança Paulista on August 12, when Cuello pounced on a rebound after goalkeeper Cleiton failed to smother Igor Gomes’s pass. A draw at home would have been enough — but Bragantino made Atlético fight for every minute of it.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from CONMEBOL Sudamericana, ESPN, beIN SPORTS, and continental coverage from August 12–19, 2026.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana — Round of 16, second leg
Date	Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Venue	Arena MRV, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Kickoff	7:00 p.m. Brasília time
Regulation score	Atlético Mineiro 2–2 Red Bull Bragantino
Aggregate	3–2 to Atlético Mineiro (first leg: 0–1 in Bragança)

Goal timeline

Minute	Team	Scorer	Notes
45+8’	Bragantino	Eric Ramires	Stoppage-time header put the visitors ahead on the night
52’	Atlético Mineiro	Maycon	Early second-half reply levelled at 1-1
70’	Bragantino	Eduardo Sasha	Restored Bragantino’s lead at 2-1
90+’	Atlético Mineiro	Tomás Cuello	Late equalizer secured 3-2 on aggregate

How the tie unfolded

First leg: Cuello strikes in Bragança

The all-Brazilian tie opened at the Cícero de Souza Marques Stadium on August 12. Bragantino controlled much of the volume — 22 shots to Atlético’s 10 — but Eduardo Domínguez’s side matched the hosts on expected goals and converted the one moment that mattered.

In the 72nd minute, Igor Gomes slipped a pass to Cuello, whose first effort was saved by Cleiton but crossed the line on the rebound for 1-0. It was Cuello’s first Sudamericana goal of 2026 after four assists in the group stage, and it arrived against the club where he had played between 2020 and 2021.

Bragantino seize the initiative at Arena MRV

Bragantino arrived in Belo Horizonte needing to win. The Massa Bruta had already beaten Atlético 1-0 in the Brasileirão at the same Bragança ground earlier in 2026, and they carried that confidence into the continental return leg.

Ramires headed home in eighth-minute stoppage time of the first half to give Bragantino the lead. When Maycon equalized seven minutes after the break, the tie looked balanced — until Sasha struck in the 70th minute to make it 2-1 Bragantino and leave Atlético trailing on the night.

With the aggregate at 2-2, extra time and penalties loomed. Bragantino had done enough to force a decider; the Galo needed one more answer.

Cuello’s stoppage-time rescue

Cuello provided it. His late equalizer at Arena MRV did more than restore a 2-2 draw — it ended Bragantino’s comeback and confirmed Atlético’s place among the last eight. The Argentine forward had scored the winner in the first leg and the qualification goal in the second, bookending the tie with the strikes that mattered most.

For a player who spent the group stage setting up teammates, the knockout rounds have turned Cuello into Atlético’s finisher on the nights that count.

Stakes and context

Club	Sudamericana path into round of 16
Atlético Mineiro	Group B winners — 3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses; topped the table with 10 points
Red Bull Bragantino	Group H runners-up — eliminated Sporting Cristal 1-0 on aggregate in the playoff round

Atlético entered 2026 chasing the trophy that slipped away in 2025, when they lost the final to Lanús. Domínguez’s squad also remained active in the Copa do Brasil and Brasileirão Série A during the knockout window — including a 3-0 league win over Grêmio on August 16.

Bragantino, meanwhile, had reached the round of 16 through a disciplined playoff win over Sporting Cristal and pushed hard to extend their continental run. The 2-2 in Belo Horizonte was not enough to overturn the slender first-leg deficit.

What comes next

Atlético Mineiro advance to quarterfinal Match S2, where they will face the winner of Santos vs. Macará. Santos took a 2-1 first-leg lead at Vila Belmiro; the return leg is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, 2026.

Stage	Dates
Quarterfinal first legs	September 8–10, 2026
Quarterfinal second legs	September 15–17, 2026
Semi-finals	October 13–22, 2026
Final	November 21, 2026 — Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia

The Galo will host the second leg of their quarterfinal as the higher-seeded side from the May 29 bracket draw in Luque, Paraguay.

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Discussion

Bragantino twice led at Arena MRV and still walked off eliminated — a reminder of how thin the margin is in two-legged continental football.

1. Bragantino outplayed Atlético for long stretches in Bragança yet lost 1-0, then led 2-1 in Belo Horizonte and still went out. Did the Massa Bruta deserve more from this tie, or did Atlético simply know how to win when it mattered?

2. Cuello had four assists and no goals in the group stage, then scored in both legs against his former club. Is he now the Galo’s indispensable Sudamericana figure — or can Atlético rely on others if the quarterfinals get tighter?

Share where you think Atlético Mineiro’s continental run stops — or whether 2026 is finally the year the Galo go one step further than last season’s final.

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