André Ramalho hails Corinthians, says Brasileirão side underwhelmed

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Central do Timão

·11 December 2025

André Ramalho hails Corinthians, says Brasileirão side underwhelmed

By Vinícios Cotrim | Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians was superior to Cruzeiro throughout the 90 minutes and left Mineirão with a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinal. The main highlight was the defensive side, which showed solidity and support from everyone, whether forwards, midfielders, or full-backs.

“We played a great collective game. We owed a match with this level of concentration, with this level of commitment,” said André Ramalho, who returned to the starting lineup at this decisive moment, in an interview with SporTV.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Corinthians spent the week doubted, due to their performance throughout the final stretch of the Brasileirão, which ended in the lower part of the table and far from the goal, which was eighth place. André Ramalho spoke about this fluctuation in the championship and the outlook for fixing it next season.

“I think it’s something we question ourselves about. I think a lot of people might think we don’t want something like that, but we question ourselves a lot and demand a lot from ourselves. We always talk and keep asking ourselves what’s happening, why we can’t or couldn’t have this consistency, especially in the Brazilian Championship. And it’s something we will definitely work on so that next year we can do this more consistently, have collective performances like today. And that’s the challenge,” commented the defender.

Until this last game, Corinthians had not conceded any goals in the Copa do Brasil, winning all matches, and becoming the team with the most minutes without conceding in the competition.

“Most importantly, we managed to put aside this end of the Brazilian Championship, which is very clear, was below, far below our expectations, the fans’ expectations, and everyone’s. We managed to put that aside and prepare very well for today’s game, concentrated, focused, once again playing collectively, once again playing without conceding a goal,” said Ramalho.

“We managed to put that aside and prepare very well for today’s game, concentrated, focused, once again playing collectively, once again playing without conceding a goal. It’s extremely important, once again we achieved this, but without the commitment of the whole team it would be impossible. Everyone who stepped on the field. So, congratulations to the whole team for the performance, once again. We keep our feet on the ground so that we can perform like this again on Sunday,” he added.

Even with the absence of Raniele, who felt his ankle after the match against Juventude, Corinthians showed solidity and neutralized Cruzeiro’s main players, such as Kaio Jorge and Matheus Pereira.

“I believe that, once again, the challenge within the game is for everyone to try to understand the context of the match. You know very well what it’s like to try to analyze what’s happening at that moment: if the opponent is pressing more, pressing less, if we managed to score a goal or not. I think what we wanted was to send a clear message from the start of the game, that we were switched on, that we were focused, and I think that’s what we managed to do,” analyzed Timão’s number 5.

The decisive match that will determine the spot in the Copa do Brasil final takes place next Sunday (14), with Corinthians as the home team. The ball will roll at Neo Química Arena, starting at 6pm (Brasília time). With the victory, a draw guarantees Timão’s qualification for the final.

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