Dorival Jr praises Hugo Souza: "National team quality"

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Central do Timão

·23. Februar 2026

Dorival Jr praises Hugo Souza: "National team quality"

By Henrique Vigliotti/Central do Timão Editorial Team

The coach Dorival Jr gave a press conference after the 1-1 draw between Corinthians and Portuguesa and the team’s advancement on penalties by 8-7, with Hugo Souza shining by saving the last decisive kick to secure the win.

Speaking about the performance of the goalkeeper who has saved 14 penalties wearing the Corinthians jersey, the coach made sure to praise him and consider him a player of Brazilian National Team level: “He was fundamental. He is a player of National Team level. He had a very important career comeback, and I am happy with this growth. He is crucial for the team, making a difference in decisive games. He has changed many of our results. We have to recognize and thank Hugo. May he continue working so that this evolution becomes even greater.”

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Photo: Henrique Vigliotti/Central do Timão

Dorival Jr was also very direct when talking about the physical strain suffered by the team, specifically using the expression “knowing how to suffer”: “Knowing how to suffer is relative. Nobody wants to suffer. It would be a fact due to the wear we had during the week. Portuguesa rested, played a brilliant first half, and complicated things for us. We must acknowledge that. At the same time, our team was brave, did not give up. We had merits. I recognize it wasn’t technically brilliant, but what matters is that, in a tough week, playing with the physical and emotional strain we had, few teams can perform and achieve this kind of result.”

The coach also spoke about the issues of injuries and problems within the Corinthians Medical Department: “It is not easy to make a decision like this. We want to fight for the Brazilian title too, but this is not the moment. Our recovery time is short, players are going to the Medical Department. Every round, we have to deal with these problems. If we had started the right way, we would be further ahead, but that’s not what happened. Tomorrow, we need to know who is fit for the important game we have next Wednesday.”

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