Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was a decisive factor for Atlas to end their long 70-year hiatus without being Mexican champions. He amassed excellent performances throughout the 2021 Apertura tournament and saved two penalties in the final.
Vargas has played all 23 of Atlas’ league games (17 regular season and six so-called liguilla) racking up 2,100 minutes, including 30 in overtime in the final round game.
FOR OUR GRANDPARENTS, MOTHERS, FATHERS, BROTHERS, CHILDREN AND ALL THE RED AND BLACK OF THE WORLD AND HEAVEN …
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF MEXICO, CARAJOOOOOOOO !!! ❤️???? TE AAAMOOOO, ATLAAAAAS !!! #Junto2 #We transform ???? pic.twitter.com/ff5T1ildkk
– Atlas FC (@AtlasFC) December 13, 2021
With the Colombian under the beams, the Foxes of Atlas had the least leaked defense of the regular phase with just 10 goals conceded. Individually, Vargas managed to keep his goal intact in 12 games (nine in the regular phase and three in the liguilla).
On Thursday, in the first leg of the final against León, Vargas conceded three goals and the Foxes they lost by 3-2. The Colombian goalkeeper was blamed for the 2-2 draw, as he did not hold the ball in a shot from outside the area, leaving Ecuadorian Ángel Mena to score.
“Camilo has saved us many times, the goalkeeper’s position is very ungrateful, we trust him and we have no doubts that on Sunday he will be as intact as ever,” said Argentinean Diego Cocca, Atlas’s Argentine coach.
On Sunday, in the return game, the Colombian goalkeeper had a relatively calm performance, but responded in the critical moments of the penalty shootout that were necessary after an aggregate draw of 3-3.
Vargas threw himself twice to the left to defend the free kicks of Fernando Navarro and Luis Montes. With that, Atlas won 4-3 in the definitive series.
“All of Mexico wanted Atlas to be champions, there are no highlights here, it’s a group of people who are hungry to make history,” Vargas said after ending the 70-year, seven-month and 20-day wait for the team’s titles. “Today, thank God, we can stay in the club’s golden pages.”
Argentinian Furch scores the title
On April 22, 1951, Costa Rican Edwin Cubero scored the goal with which Atlas won its first Mexican league title.
Over those 70 years, this was the most celebrated goal in the history of the rubro-negros. But on December 12, 2021, Argentine striker Julio Furch became another hero for the Zorros when he converted the last penalty kick, scoring a goal as decisive as Cubero’s.
Furch kicked in the lower right corner and, with that, Atlas was crowned champion after the long wait. “I was calm, I knew the ball was going to go in. I was determined that I was going to kick there,” said the player who is known as Emperor of the Goal.
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