Brazil boss hints at new call-up, Corinthians keeper debut | OneFootball

Two days after helping secure Corinthians' qualification to the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil by saving a penalty in the 2-0 victory against Athletico-PR at the Neo Química Arena, goalkeeper Hugo Souza received, albeit indirectly, good news about his presence in the Brazilian National Team. It was indicated that not only will he be called up again for the next FIFA date in October, but he is also expected to play at least once.

The statement was made by the Amarelinha coach Carlo Ancelotti himself, who spoke to ESPN on Friday, the 12th. “I really like Hugo as a goalkeeper, he has personality, character, he is very tall, and I believe that in the upcoming games we can think about giving him the opportunity to get accustomed to the team”, said the Italian.

Photo: @rafaelribeirorio / CBF

The skills of Corinthians' number 1 in penalties were also mentioned – Hugo Souza has saved no less than eight penalties for the Alvinegro in just 77 matches played. For Ancelotti, it could be important for Brazil to have a specialist in this area for the next World Cup, as the tournament, expanded to 48 teams, will feature five knockout matches up to the final.

“We are thinking about this, preparing, studying penalties, preparing a goalkeeper for penalties because in knockouts many… in the past, Brazil was unlucky against Croatia, many quarterfinals, round of 16 games are decided on penalties, so it is something we are considering, evaluating.”

Hugo Souza has already been called up to the National Team three times: in 2018, coach Tite called the goalkeeper, then at Flamengo, for friendlies against the USA and El Salvador. Seven years later, Ancelotti called him up on two occasions. In May, the athlete was part of the group that faced Ecuador and Paraguay in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. In September, again for the competition, he was part of the group that played against Chile and Bolivia. However, the Corinthians player has yet to take the field.

The goalkeeper already shows expertise from the penalty spot: in Corinthians' qualification over Athletico-PR in the Copa do Brasil, he saved a penalty from Benavídez, surpassing Dida (eight saves) and approaching the top-3 penalty defenders in the club's history.

The trend is for Hugo to remain among those called up for the National Team's upcoming commitments, including the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, he continues with Corinthians for the match against Fluminense on Saturday (13th), at 9 PM, at Maracanã, for the 23rd round of the Brasileirão. The National Team returns in October to face South Korea (10/10, in Seoul) and Japan (14/10, in Tokyo).

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