Overview
- Hulk came off the bench to set up the equalizer and, after reports of a possible early exit, both he and the club rejected talk of rescinding his contract as he stated he intends to honor his deal following a conversation with president Sérgio Coelho.
- Gustavo Scarpa was booked and will miss the second leg through suspension.
- Junior Sornoza put Del Valle ahead early from a VAR-confirmed penalty before Atlético-MG grew into the game and found the late leveller.
- Coach Jorge Sampaoli praised the team’s reaction in Quito, noted the challenge of the altitude, and cautioned that Del Valle are dangerous away from home.
- The second leg is on October 28 at Arena MRV (21:30 Brasília time), with the winner advancing to the November 22 final in Asunción.