Dorival Júnior leads Corinthians' historic run to cup final

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Central do Timão

·15. Dezember 2025

Dorival Júnior leads Corinthians' historic run to cup final

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians is in the final of the Copa do Brasil after a night marked by tension, reaction, and a penalty shootout decision at the Neo Química Arena. After a 2-1 loss to Cruzeiro in regular time, the Alvinegro won 5-4 on penalties. The result extended an impressive streak for coach Dorival Júnior.

The Corinthians coach reached his 18th consecutive qualification in the Copa do Brasil, a competition from which he has not been eliminated since the 2016 edition. In his last elimination, the coach was leading Santos and was defeated by Internacional 2-0 in the second leg of the quarter-finals, after having won the first leg 2-1.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Since then, Dorival Júnior has navigated through all the knockout stages he has contested in the Copa do Brasil with different clubs. The streak began in 2017 with Santos and continued with São Paulo in 2018. However, at both clubs, the coach was dismissed before continuing the campaign in the national competition.

The streak gained greater significance starting in 2022, when the coach was at the helm of Ceará and Flamengo, achieving the title with the red-black team that season, facing Corinthians in the final.

In 2023, already in charge of São Paulo, Dorival Júnior once again had a consistent campaign and led the club to the Copa do Brasil title. Along the way, he overcame direct rivals such as Palmeiras and once again Corinthians, in addition to defeating Flamengo in the final, consolidating the coach's positive history in knockout matches in the tournament.

In the current edition, leading Corinthians, the coach maintained his reputation as a "cup specialist." The Alvinegro team eliminated Grêmio Novorizontino, Palmeiras, Athletico-PR, and Cruzeiro to reach the final, conceding only two goals throughout the campaign, precisely in the second leg against the Minas Gerais team.

Additionally, Dorival Júnior will compete in his fifth Copa do Brasil final of his career. The coach won in 2010 (Santos), 2022 (Flamengo), and 2023 (São Paulo). He did not participate in the competition last year because he was in charge of the Brazilian national team. If he wins the title, he will become the tournament's greatest champion alongside Felipão.

The coach's overall record in the Copa do Brasil is also impressive. In the 14 editions he participated in, from 2004 to 2025, there are 83 matches, with 54 wins, 15 draws, and 14 losses – a success rate of 71.08%.

Now, the Copa do Brasil finals between Corinthians and Vasco will conclude the 2025 Brazilian football season. The first leg takes place this Wednesday (17) at the Neo Química Arena. The second leg will be held on Sunday (21) at a stadium to be determined by Vasco, possibly the Maracanã.

Dorival Júnior's streak without eliminations in the Copa do Brasil:

2017 (coaching Santos)

Round of 16 first leg – Santos 2 x 0 PaysanduRound of 16 second leg – Paysandu 1 x 3 Santos

2018 (coaching São Paulo)

1st phase – Madureira 0 x 1 São Paulo2nd phase – CSA 0 x 2 São Paulo3rd phase – São Paulo 2 x 0 CRB

2022 (coaching Ceará and Flamengo)

3rd phase first leg – Tombense 0 x 2 Ceará3rd phase second leg – Ceará 2 x 0 TombenseRound of 16 first leg – Atlético-MG 2 x 1 FlamengoRound of 16 second leg – Flamengo 2 x 0 Atlético-MGQuarter-finals first leg – Flamengo 0 x 0 Athletico-PRQuarter-finals second leg – Athletico-PR 0 x 1 FlamengoSemi-final first leg – São Paulo 1 x 3 FlamengoSemi-final second leg – Flamengo 1 x 0 São PauloFinal first leg – Corinthians 0 x 0 FlamengoFinal second leg – Flamengo 1 x 1 Corinthians (6×5 on penalties)

2023 (coaching São Paulo)

3rd phase – Ituano 0 x 1 São PauloRound of 16 first leg – Sport 0 x 2 São PauloRound of 16 second leg – São Paulo 1 x 3 Sport (5×3 on penalties)Quarter-finals first leg – São Paulo 1 x 0 PalmeirasQuarter-finals second leg – Palmeiras 1 x 2 São PauloSemi-final first leg – Corinthians 2 x 1 São PauloSemi-final second leg – São Paulo 2 x 0 CorinthiansFinal first leg – Flamengo 0 x 1 SãoFinal second leg – São Paulo 1 x 1 Flamengo

2025 (coaching Corinthians)

3rd phase first leg – Grêmio Novorizontino 0 x 1 Corinthians3rd phase second leg – Corinthians 1 x 0 Grêmio NovorizontinoRound of 16 first leg – Corinthians 1 x 0 PalmeirasRound of 16 second leg – Palmeiras 0 x 2 CorinthiansQuarter-finals first leg – Athletico-PR 0 x 1 CorinthiansQuarter-finals second leg – Corinthians 2 x 0 Athletico-PRSemi-final first leg – Cruzeiro 0 x 1 CorinthiansSemi-final second leg – Corinthians 1 x 2 Cruzeiro (5×4 on penalties)

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