Atlético Mineiro defeated Santos 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Copa Sudamericana quarter-final at Arena MRV on 2026-09-16. The Brazilian sides met in a match that swung between phases of control and sudden chaos, with the tie ultimately decided from the spot after regular time could not separate them.
Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte opened the scoring for Santos in the first minute, a sharp start that set the tone for an open encounter. Atlético Mineiro responded through Reinier Jesus Carvalho, who found the net in the 20th minute before Lyanco Evangelista Silveira Neves Vojnović gifted his own side a third goal just eight minutes later. Reinier added a second for the visitors in the 41st minute, putting them ahead before half-time.
Santos pulled one back through Gabriel Barbosa in the 72nd minute, and Tomás Cuello equalised for Atlético Mineiro in stoppage time, setting up a dramatic penalty shootout. Gabriel Barbosa, João Schmidt, Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos and Arthur Melo all missed for Santos, while Gustavo Scarpa, Igor Gomes, Gabriel Bontempo and Thiago Borbas converted for Atlético Mineiro.
The statistics tell a story of competing approaches. Santos held 51 per cent possession and attempted 16 shots, but their accuracy of 22 per cent meant they wasted more opportunities than they created. Atlético Mineiro, with 49 per cent possession, shot less frequently but converted at 42 per cent, and their expected goals of 2.08 compared to Santos' 1.78 reflected a team that found better quality chances.
Atlético Mineiro had been unbeaten in this stage of the competition, sitting top of the table with 10 points from six games. Santos, second with seven points, had drawn four of their six matches and lost just once. This result moves the visitors further clear at the summit while eliminating their rivals from the tournament.
