Hugo Souza reflects on Corinthians' Paulistão exit, highlights struggles

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Central do Timão

·1. März 2026

Hugo Souza reflects on Corinthians' Paulistão exit, highlights struggles

By Mirella Ramos / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the evening of last Saturday (28), Corinthians visited Novorizontino at the Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium, known as Jorjão, in a match valid for the semifinals of the 2026 Paulista Championship. The home team won 1-0, with a goal scored by Mayk at the 74th minute, advancing to the final of the competition.

After the final whistle, goalkeeper Hugo Souza spoke to the press as he left the field and assessed the performance of the alvinegra team. The player commented on the physical aspect and emphasized that it should not be used as an excuse for the defeat.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

“Man, I think the physical part makes a big difference, but that's not what we should use as an argument for today, right? We managed to maybe push the opposing team back, hold the ball a bit, but we couldn't create the best opportunities. I think technically it wasn't our best game, where we had a lot of possession but created few, few goal chances,” said Hugo.

Continuing his response, the goalkeeper also highlighted the characteristics of the opponent and stated that a mistake ended up being decisive for the outcome of the match.

“And the opposing team, we knew they were a qualified and tricky team, you know? They defended well and played for a single chance. And I think a mistake we made there was fatal. Now it's about thinking ahead, correcting what needs to be corrected. This mistake that happened, in this type of game, cannot happen. Now it's looking forward and we have a lot to fight for, to conquer if God wills”, he added.

Finally, Hugo Souza commented on the frustration of the elimination and projected the continuation of the season, emphasizing the need for adjustments to pursue new titles throughout the year.

“And we will work at the highest possible level so that we can celebrate a title again, so that we can bring joy back to the fans. Today there's a great frustration and we just want to think ahead. Congratulations to the Novorizontino team who played a tactically almost perfect game there, where they didn't offer us many chances, and the chances they had, they scored. We leave here very sad and now it's about thinking ahead and giving our best and correcting what needs to be corrected so that we can improve our performances”, he concluded.

Corinthians returns to the field only on the next March 11, Wednesday, for the Brazilian Championship, against Coritiba, in the fifth round of the national tournament, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time).

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