- The Argentine returned from suspension and, in the 47th minute of the second half of the second leg against Santos, headed in the 4-2 that leveled the aggregate and forced a penalty shootout.
- He had already been the man of the Round of 16 tie against Red Bull Bragantino, with the only goal of the first leg and the stoppage-time strike in the return: three of his goals in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana have decided a knockout tie.
Some players show up when the match calls for it, and there is one, at Atlético Mineiro, who shows up when the clock has almost run out. Tomás Cuello had been unable to play the first leg of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana quarterfinals against Santos, a 2-0 defeat at the Vila Belmiro, because he was serving a suspension. He returned to the starting eleven at the Arena MRV and, with the 'Galo' winning 3-2 but still out on aggregate, he rose above the entire defense in the 47th minute of the second half and headed in the 4-2 that took the tie to penalties. There, Gabriel Delfim saved three and the reigning runners-up booked their place in the Semifinals. It is the second straight tie the Tucumán native has decided in stoppage time: four weeks earlier he had done the same against Red Bull Bragantino, in the Round of 16, with a goal in each leg.
Bragantino, the first time
Knockout ties usually have an owner, and the one between Atlético Mineiro and Red Bull Bragantino had one with a first name, a last name and a past in both locker rooms. The Argentine scored the only goal of the first leg in Bragança Paulista and, when the return at the Arena MRV was drifting toward penalties, he appeared once more, with a steal in midfield and a run to the box to seal the 2-2 that was worth a 3-2 aggregate. Two of the 'Galo''s three goals in the tie were his, both against the club that brought him to Brazil.
The profile explains the character. Born in Tucumán and developed at Atlético of that province, he moved to Brazil in 2020 and built his career between Bragantino and Athletico Paranaense before Atlético Mineiro bought him in January 2025, as the fifth signing of that window and with a contract through the end of 2028. In the attacking unit he shares with Bernard, Reinier and Cassierra, his trademark was never the goal but pressing, sacrifice and the final pass: that dual role of winning the ball back and getting into the opponent's box that Domínguez values so much, and which in the group stage had translated into assists.
Santos, the second time
Against Santos, the script changed and the ending was the same. Without Cuello in the first leg, the 'Galo' could not avoid the 2-0 at the Vila Belmiro. With him back at the Arena MRV, Atlético Mineiro came out to play the return as if there were no tomorrow: Bernard opened the scoring after 19 seconds, the fastest goal of this edition, and Reinier scored twice before the break to turn the tie around, with a Lyanco own goal in between. But Gabigol, in the 27th minute of the second half, made it 3-2 and once again left Santos holding the ticket. Until stoppage time arrived, and with stoppage time came Cuello: a cross from the right, a header ahead of everyone and 4-2. The 4-4 aggregate sent the tie to penalties, and there Delfim saved the attempts of Gabigol, Schmidt and Arthur Melo for the 3-1 that sealed qualification.
The goal, once again, works as a summary of his game. In the Round of 16, the play that put the 'Galo' into the quarterfinals was born from his oldest virtue, winning the ball back, and ended with the facet he was debuting in this edition, finishing. Against Santos, the contribution was different —a penalty-box striker's header, winning position against the entire defense— but the moment was identical: the second minute of stoppage time, with the tie crying out for a goal. Cuello no longer just creates goals for others; now he scores his own too, and always at the moments when they weigh the most. His numbers in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana sum it up: three goals and four assists, and all three goals decided a knockout tie.
Atlético Mineiro, the reigning runners-up of the competition, will play the Semifinals for the third consecutive year and for the sixth time in the 21st century. Their opponent will come from the tie between Montevideo City Torque and Cienciano, which is decided this Thursday at the Estadio Centenario with a 2-0 advantage for the side from Cusco. If the 'Galo' want to fight for La Gran Conquista again, they already know they have in the Tucumán native much more than a creator of goals for others: they have the man who, when two ties asked for it, decided them in stoppage time.
El perfil explica el personaje. Nacido en Tucumán y formado en Atlético de esa provincia, cruzó a Brasil en 2020 y construyó su carrera entre Bragantino y Athletico Paranaense antes de que Atlético Mineiro lo comprara en enero de 2025, como quinto refuerzo de aquel mercado y con contrato hasta fines de 2028. En el frente de ataque que integra junto a Bernard, Reinier y Cassierra, su sello nunca fue el gol sino la presión, el sacrificio y el último pase: esa doble función de recuperar y pisar el área rival que Domínguez valora tanto y que en la Fase de Grupos se había traducido en asistencias.
Por eso el gol de la vuelta funciona como síntesis perfecta de su juego: la jugada que metió al 'Galo' en Cuartos nació de su virtud más antigua —la recuperación— y terminó con la faceta que estaba estrenando en esta edición del certamen, la definición. Cuello ya no solo fabrica goles ajenos; ahora también grita los propios, y en los momentos donde más pesan.
Con la serie cerrada, Atlético Mineiro, subcampeón vigente de la competencia, espera en los Cuartos de Final por el ganador de la llave entre Macará y Santos, que se define este jueves en los 2.500 metros de Ambato con ventaja 2-1 para el 'Peixe'. Si el 'Galo' quiere volver a pelear por La Gran Conquista, ya sabe que tiene en el tucumano mucho más que un fabricante de goles ajenos: tiene al hombre que, cuando la serie lo pidió, la definió dos veces.
