Corinthians end away-goal drought in Libertadores knockouts | OneFootball

On the night of this Wednesday (9), Corinthians faced Estudiantes of Argentina at Jorge Luís Hirschi Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals, and drew 1-1. The result means Timão will need a simple win in the second match to advance directly to the next round. If there is another draw, the qualifier will be decided on penalties.

In addition to the positive result, Corinthians, with the goal scored by Kaio César four minutes into the second half, found the net again away from home in a Libertadores knockout match for the first time since June 27, 2012. On that occasion, at La Bombonera, Boca Juniors’ stadium, Romarinho scored the equalizer in the first leg of that year’s final. Since then, there had been seven matches without scoring in this context, with three draws and four defeats.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

The first match in that run came precisely against Boca Juniors in 2013. In the first leg of the round of 16, Timão lost 1-0 in Argentina. Two years later, the opponent was Guaraní of Paraguay. Corinthians ended up being beaten 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16.

In 2016, against Nacional of Uruguay, Timão managed to hold on for a 0-0 draw away from home. In the next season in which they played in the continental knockout stage, in 2018, the opponent was Colo-Colo of Chile. Again away from home, Corinthians lost 1-0.

The team returned to playing a Libertadores knockout match away from home in 2022. In the round of 16, they faced Boca Juniors again and drew 0-0 once more at La Bombonera. Despite not scoring, Timão advanced on penalties, 6-5. Later in that same edition, Corinthians faced Flamengo in the quarterfinals. At the Maracanã, they were defeated 1-0.

The streak, which had already reached six matches before the clash with Rosario Central, grew after the 0-0 draw at Gigante de Arroyito in August. On that occasion, Corinthians withstood the Argentinians’ pressure and took the decision to Neo Química Arena, where they won 1-0 with a goal by Breno Bidon, securing qualification for the quarterfinals.

After drawing with Estudiantes away from home in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals, Corinthians now temporarily shifts its focus back to the Brazilian Championship. Next Sunday (13), at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro visits Flamengo at the Maracanã Stadium for the 27th round of the national competition. Timão currently sits in 12th place with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws and 10 losses — with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded.

Corinthians will face the Argentinians again next Wednesday (16), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, in the second leg of the international competition’s quarterfinals. This is Corinthians’ sixth appearance in the Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals. In 2000 and 2012, against Atlético-MG and Vasco da Gama, Alvinegro advanced. On the other hand, in the 1996, 1999 and 2022 seasons, the club from Parque São Jorge was eliminated by Grêmio, Palmeiras and Flamengo, respectively.

Corinthians scores away from home again in the Conmebol Libertadores knockout stage

* The preliminary round (Pre-Libertadores) is not taken into account

From then until now, there had been seven matches without finding the net in this context — three draws and four defeats:

Conmebol Libertadores campaign and accumulated prize money

In the group stage, Alvinegro qualified as the leader of Group E with 11 points — three wins, two draws and one defeat — eight goals scored and nine conceded. Timão’s group included Platense-ARG, Peñarol-URU and Santa Fé-COL. In the round of 16, meanwhile, they eliminated Rosario Central-ARG. In the first match, in Buenos Aires, there was a scoreless draw. In the return leg, at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians won 1-0.

For its performance in the international competition, Corinthians has already accumulated R$ 25.9 million. Of that total, R$ 16.9 million came from the group-stage campaign, while the rest refers to the place in the quarterfinals. If they qualify for the semifinals, they will earn another 2.3 million dollars (R$ 11.85 million). At this moment, Timão has four wins, four draws and one defeat in the competition — 10 goals scored and five conceded.

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