Athletico beats Pouso Alegre, and Barbieri highlights the challenges of the marathon of games

Athletico is in the second phase of the Copa do Brasil! On Tuesday night (25), Furacão beat Pouso Alegre 2-0 at the Manduzão stadium, in a match valid for the first phase of the national competition. Luiz Fernando, in the first half, and Kevin Velasco, in the final stage, scored the goals for the red-black team's qualification.

In a press conference, coach Maurício Barbieri stressed that these early matches in the Copa do Brasil are usually tricky, demanding maximum attention from the team. The first half was not very exciting, but Athletico did enough to go into the break with the advantage. The goal came after just 4 minutes, with Luiz Fernando taking advantage of a beautiful pass from Velasco.

"I think the early goal gave us a bit of peace of mind, but then we were out of sorts. We didn't play like we should have in the rest of the first half."

Intense sequence of games challenges preparation

Barbieri also highlighted the difficulty of balancing Furacão's tight schedule with effective training to prepare the team.

"The last full week to train was before January 11. We have new players coming in and trying their best, but within this context, it is very challenging."

The coach also commented on the restructuring of the squad and how, despite the difficulties, the team has managed to evolve.

"There was a major overhaul of the squad, and this result is essential to provide peace of mind in the next round. But, more than that, we are managing to develop the team and maintain performance at the same time."

After the break, Barbieri had to replace Dudu with Palacios. The right-back suffered a head injury in the first half and, despite remaining on the pitch, complained of dizziness at half-time and was substituted as a precaution.

"Dudu took a blow to the head and, at that moment, he seemed to be fine. But during the break he started feeling dizzy, so we followed protocol and made the change."

Furacão returns to the field for the second round of the Copa do Brasil on March 5, awaiting the winner of the match between Guarany de Bagé-RS and Altos-PI.