Corinthians draw with Liga Sancaetanense, stay top of Paulista Futsal | OneFootball

Corinthians picked up another point in the Paulista Futsal Championship on Sunday morning (16). In a direct clash for the top spots, Timão visited Liga Sancaetanense at the Joaquim Cambaúva Rabello Sports Center, in São Caetano do Sul, and drew 1-1 in the 11th round of the state competition. Fabinho scored for the black-and-white side.

Both goals came in the opening minutes. The home team went ahead after a long ball deflected off Lucas Martins and ended up in the Corinthians net. Timão responded shortly after and equalized through Fabinho following a move that started from a Renatinho throw-in.

Photo: Beto Miller / Corinthians

With the result, Corinthians reached 29 points and remain alone at the top of the Paulista standings. Liga Sancaetanense, Sunday’s opponent and a direct rival in the race for first place, moved to 24 points and stayed in second.

Corinthians lineup

Fernando Malafaia started the match with Lucas Oliveira; Lucas Martins, Renatinho, Maicon, and Rick.

Sancaetanense lineup

The team coached by Rafael Ribeiro started with Freire; Paulinho, Índio, Yuri, and Thalles.

Next match

Corinthians will have a longer break before returning to the court. Their next match is scheduled for August 27, Thursday, at 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time), against Magnus Futsal at Arena Sorocaba, in the 12th round of the Paulista Championship.

First half

The match started at a fast pace. In one of Liga Sancaetanense’s first attacks, the home side even found the net, but the play was disallowed by the referees.

Shortly afterward, though, the first valid goal came. After a Corinthians attack, Freire gained possession and quickly looked to launch an attack with a long ball. On its way, the ball deflected off Lucas Martins and flew into the goal, putting the team from São Caetano do Sul in front.

CORINTHIANS GOAL: the black-and-white response did not take long. With about 16 minutes left before halftime, Renatinho took a throw-in and found Fabinho. The player finished and leveled the score again: 1-1.

After the goals, the match became more intense in the duels and saw a higher number of fouls. Even so, both teams kept looking for openings to take the lead.

Liga Sancaetanense threatened through Marcelinho, who received a long pass, got past Renatinho’s marking, and shot, but Lucas Oliveira made the save. Later, the player was involved in another good attacking move after combining with Gabrielzão, but his attempt went over the goal.

Corinthians responded with Igor Bredof. After a throw-in taken by Caio Barros, the player went for a first-time shot, but missed the target.

The closing stretch of the first half again brought chances for both sides. Rick and Lucas Martins combined in attack for the black-and-white side, but the defense managed to block the final shot. Right after that, the home team created danger from a corner, with Lukinhas shooting wide.

In the final moments, Timão came very close to turning the game around. Maicon beat his marker and shot toward goal. The ball took a deflection and hit the post, keeping the score at 1-1 going into halftime.

Second half

Liga Sancaetanense started the second half trying to put Corinthians under pressure. Índio received the ball after a passing move by the home side and went for the shot, but sent it wide.

Timão responded in the fourth minute. Renatinho switched the play to Lucas Martins on the left side. Near the end line, the defender cut it back and found Rick, who hit it first time. Freire was well positioned and made the save.

Shortly afterward, Mau Mau appeared on the right for the home team and tried a cross-shot, but failed to hit the target. Right after that, Corinthians broke forward again at speed. Renatinho played in Lucas Martins, who tried to reach the ball in front of the goalkeeper. The loose ball stayed alive, but Rick could not finish the move.

From then on, the match became more balanced. Both teams found chances to score a second goal, but were denied by the opposing defenses and a lack of precision with the final touch.

One of the best chances for the home side came late on. From a throw-in by Thalles, Índio got on the end of it and struck Lucas Oliveira’s post, keeping the match level.

Corinthians also had a chance to push for the win. Igor Bredof burst forward on a counterattack and covered much of the court before shooting, but the ball went out beyond the end line.

In the final minutes, the number of fouls increased and the game lost some fluency. With neither Corinthians nor Liga Sancaetanense able to find a second goal, the 1-1 scoreline remained until the final whistle.

Paulista standings

Even without securing a fourth straight win this season, Corinthians remain in first place in the Paulista Futsal Championship. The black-and-white side now has 29 points, five more than Liga Sancaetanense.

The draw also keeps the unbeaten run alive for Fernando Malafaia’s team, which had come into Sunday’s match on the back of three consecutive wins.

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