Back from injury, Thaís Regina and Juliana Passari near Corinthians return | OneFootball

The series of friendlies during the break for the World Cup gave Corinthians a chance to assess players who were in the final stages of physical recovery. Among the standouts, center-back Thaís Regina and midfielder Juliana Passari returned to action and took another step toward rejoining the official matches of Emily Lima’s squad.

Both players took part in the friendlies against the United States Under-23 national team on June 5 and 9. Despite the 2-0 and 1-0 defeats, respectively, the matches were important for both of them to regain match fitness after long spells away from the pitch.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Corinthians

In Thaís Regina’s case, the return comes after a recovery process that lasted more than six months. The defender suffered a fracture to the fibula in her left ankle during a training session at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava in January this year, shortly before Corinthians traveled to England to compete in the Women’s Champions Cup.

Since then, the player underwent surgery, physiotherapy sessions, and extensive physical recovery work until she was cleared to resume activities with the rest of the squad. At the end of May, she had already returned to on-field training, still under workload management by the medical department.

On social media, the player herself confirmed that she had completed the physical transition phase and took part in both friendlies against the Americans.

Thaís Regina’s last official match had been on December 7, 2025, in the final of the Paulista Women’s Championship against Palmeiras. In her first season with Corinthians, the center-back played 30 matches, starting most of them, and also contributed four goals and two assists in the club’s Brasileirão and Libertadores title-winning campaigns.

Juliana Passari also used the friendlies to regain her competitive rhythm. The midfielder suffered a muscle injury in her right thigh in April and had been sidelined from ball work ever since.

The player began the physical transition process at the end of May and gradually returned to training with the squad. The medical department monitored her carefully, mainly because of her injury history, as she has suffered anterior cruciate ligament tears in both knees over the course of her career.

Her appearances in the friendlies marked Juliana’s first minutes on the field this season. Until then, she had not yet made her official debut in 2026.

Signed by Corinthians at the beginning of 2025 after a spell with Palmeiras, the midfielder had few opportunities in her first season with the club. She played ten matches, scored one goal, and logged just over 300 minutes on the field wearing the black-and-white shirt.

Her last official appearance came in November last year, in a 3-0 win over Realidade Jovem in the Paulista Women’s Championship.

Now, after the end of the friendlies and the start of the squad’s vacation period, the expectation is that both players will be fully available to strengthen Corinthians for the rest of the season.

The Brabas will return to the pitch on July 17 at 7 p.m. against Ferroviária at Fazendinha in the fourth round of the Paulista Women’s Championship. In addition to the state competition, the club will also play the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship, the Copa do Brasil, and the Libertadores in the second half of the year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.