With a dramatic stoppage-time goal, Bernard rescued Atlético Mineiro from a frustrating night and booked their place in the Copa Sudamericana semifinals on Wednesday, sealing a 1-0 victory over a valiant Bolívar side.

The team managed by Jorge Sampaoli struggled heavily at home, but the 33-year-old winger spared them from humiliation with a decisive 91st-minute header off a teasing cross from Gustavo Scarpa.

Bolívar came within moments of taking the tie to a penalty shootout, their superb defensive effort undone by a single lapse at the very end.

After the 2-2 draw in the first leg, the Bolivians showed no fear in Belo Horizonte, neutralizing a Mineiro side that looked powerless for most of the 90 minutes. But in stoppage time, the Brazilians found their breakthrough and will now face either Once Caldas or Independiente del Valle in the semifinals.

From the opening whistle, Atlético looked disjointed, struggling to create chances or dictate the rhythm of the match. Instead, Flavio Robatto’s Bolívar pressed high, stayed well organized, and even threatened with a few half-chances from Daniel Cataño.

Sampaoli, increasingly frustrated, could only watch as his side bypassed midfield with hopeful long balls toward Hulk, abandoning their trademark possession game and committing countless passing errors.

Injuries forced changes as Alexsander went off early, replaced by Bernard — who would eventually become the hero of the night. Yet the same problems persisted: slow build-up, lack of ideas, and no cutting edge in attack.

The home fans at the Arena MRV booed their team at halftime, though the second half brought more urgency. Scarpa became more dangerous down the right, while Guilherme Arana tested the keeper with a tight-angled strike.

Sampaoli turned to his bench again, bringing on Rony for former Real Madrid player Reinier, who had been anonymous, and later made the controversial decision to withdraw Hulk. Mineiro thought they had a lifeline in the 80th minute when Biel was fouled on the edge of the box, but after initially awarding a penalty, referee Facundo Tello reversed his decision following a VAR review.

Bolívar nearly snatched the win late on when Dorny Romero broke free one-on-one, sending shivers through the home crowd. But just when a shootout seemed inevitable, Scarpa whipped in a curling cross and Bernard rose above Jesús Sagredo to head home the winner.

It was a heroic ending to an otherwise lackluster performance. With a semifinal place secured, Sampaoli has plenty of work ahead if Atlético Mineiro are to go further in the tournament.